NH Industries (NHI) will meet armaments directors from partner countries of the four -nation NH90 transport-helicopter programme during the Paris air show in June to begin negotiations on tooling and production for up to 240 helicopters.
"We're preparing our proposals now," says NHI president Jean-Pierre Barthelemy. "We have been asked to prepare two offers: one for the cost of tooling up for production; the second for production, plus the first batch", he says.
He admits that the figure of 240 may be "slightly optimistic", but says that it is centred on the needs of the four nations - France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands - and the decision to keep unit costs down.
With planned delivery of their first machines in 2003, Germany and the Netherlands are "-asking for an early decision" on the production-investment phase, says Barthelemy. That is likely to cost "around half as much" as the current ten-year fixed price ECU 1.376 million ($1.54 billion) design and development (D&D) phase.
"Ideally, we would sign a memorandum of understanding for a production investment award in mid-1998," says Barthelemy. "That would provide for serial production to begin in mid-1999 and delivery of the first aircraft in 2003".
The D&D phase is "three-quarters of the way to completion", with France now "fully paid up" on its share of the programme following Eurocopter's complaint earlier in the year that it was having to fund France's share itself.
"We're past the peak spending period, and we do not expect any further problems with stage payments," he adds.
Studies into the number of production lines required for the NH90 are continuing, but Barthelemy confirms that a single line is "unlikely", because of the potential need to sustain a production rate of up to six aircraft a month.
Source: Flight International
