PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
Deliveries of new machines have reached a 10-year low but the US Homeland Security Department and the offshore oil industry offer some hope
The past 12 months have proved to be another miserable year for the civil helicopter industry - with the notable exception of Eurocopter, which further consolidated its increasingly dominant market share. Deliveries of new machines have hit a 10-year low, with operator appetite for replacement helicopters tempered by rapidly rising insurance costs and an uncertain economic and international political climate.
New product developments still trickle into the market, with manufacturers pinning hopes on the newly created US Homeland Security Department and a recovery in the offshore oil industry. Eurocopter in April delivered the first EC145 to the French Securit‚ Civile, while Sikorsky in December received US Federal Aviation Administration FAR 29 certification for the S-92. The first machine is due for delivery to Canadian offshore operator Cougar Helicopters early next year.
Already in the pipeline for certification by mid-year is the Bell/Agusta AB139, while a number of new and improved developments are waiting in the wings for more favourable conditions and company go-aheads. They include Bell's conceptual JRX replacement for the JetRanger, which Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Rolls-Royce are manoeuvring to power. Sikorsky plans to improve and re-engine the S-76, but has deferred any decisions.
Undaunted or perhaps unaffected by the economic malaise afflicting Western manufacturers, a number of new Eastern designs are coming to the fore. China has put the Harbin Z-11 Ecureuil lookalike into production and is planning to develop a twin-engine version powered by the Rolls-Royce 250 turboshaft. PZL-Swidnik in November received local Polish certification for the five-seat SW-4 after a protracted gestation, while Kazan hopes to certify the P&WC PW207-powered Ansat this year.
The opening up of the Chinese market has benefited smaller manufacturers squeezed by the home market economy. Schweizer sold five piston-powered machines in China last year and will this month ship its first 300CB kit for locally assembly in Shanghai under a joint venture deal between Sikorsky and Little Eagle that is expected to include the turbine-powered 330 and 333 models. Enstrom's management team hopes to rekindle plans to produce in Wuhan its family of F28F and 280FX piston and 480B turbine machines, some of which are already in service with the local police.
Law enforcement sales have proved to be a mixed blessing for MD Helicopters after it secured orders for eight Explorers from the Netherlands' national police and another five for the Baden-Wurtenberg police in Germany. The addition of weather radar, an infrared imager, electronic instrument displays, new radios and increased PW207 power has required new type certifications by the FAA.
Source: Flight International
