Japan's defence ministry has signed a contract with Eurocopter for two EC135 training helicopters, with the company expecting a follow-on deal for another three in 2010.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, which will take delivery of its new helicopters before year-end, will use them at its Naval Training School in Kanoya, and hopes to eventually have a fleet of 12. Eurocopter says it won the deal after a "thorough and rigorous selection" process that took into account the EC135's technological performance and lifecycle costs.
"We are determined to gain a foothold in the defence market in Japan," says Eurocopter chief executive Lutz Bertling. "This contract award clearly brings us a step closer to achieving this goal and we remain committed to serving the needs of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces with our wide range of products, especially with the [NH Industries] NH90."
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Eurocopter says the EC135 is adapted to train aircrew operating new-generation multirole or combat helicopters. The 3t-class twin-engined helicopter has a glass cockpit and can seat up to eight passengers. The type also has low fuel consumption and "good manoeuvrability, high visibility and low vibration levels", allowing instructors to perform training missions in optimal safety, the company claims.
The EC135 and a military utility development, the EC635, are in service in European countries such as Germany, Spain and Switzerland, plus Jordan.
Japan's naval aviation fleet mainly comprises Mitsubishi/Sikorsky SH-60J anti-submarine warfare helicopters, which have been in service since 1991. The JMSDF is expected to begin a competition to replace the aircraft in the coming years.
Eurocopter's new contract comes as it steps up its efforts to increase its share of the Japanese civil and military rotorcraft markets. The Japanese military already operates three EC225 VIP helicopters that it inducted last year, and Eurocopter says that it has a 57% market share in the civil and para-public sectors.
Forty EC135s are flying in Japan on emergency medical service missions, news gathering and corporate transport operations.
Source: Flight International
