Successful 2007 For Eurocopter

In 2007, Eurocopter took orders valued at more than 6.5 billion Euros and delivered 488 helicopters of all models (civil and military), surpassing, by significant margins, its previous record totals set in 2006. By the end of 2007, the company’s order backlog exceeded 13 billion Euros.

Around 51 percent of Eurocopter’s 2007 turnover derived from civil and parapublic sales, the remaining 49 percent being military products. However, of the orders taken in 2007, military products accounted for 56%; civilian products, 44 % percent.

The AS350/355/EC130 (Ecuriel/Squirrel/Fennec) family continued to be Eurocopter’s biggest seller with combined orders for 325 of these helicopters. At 134 units, the EC135 was the next biggest seller for the year, followed by 95 orders for the NH90, 88 for the BK117/EC145 family, 73 for the EC120, 47 for the EC155 (Dauphin/Panther), 22 for the EC225/EC725 (Super Puma/Cougar) family and 18 for the Tiger.

The biggest percentage of Eurocopter’s orders were for operators in the oil and gas exploration and extraction industries, followed closely by VIP and corporate customers, then law enforcement and EMS customers ahead of utility, tourism and military customers.

During 2007, Eurocopter inaugurated a new plant at Albacete in Spain, founded Eurocopter UK and commenced full business activities in China. In addition, it introduced additional NH90 assembly lines, and Patria in Finland delivered its first Finnish-built NH90. As well as delivering the first complete NH90s to Australia, it also delivered the first NH90 kits to Australian Aerospace for assembly and delivery of more NH90s by that company for the Australian Defence Force in 2008. The year also saw the delivery of the first 18 of the US Army’s order of UH-72A Lakotas (EC145).