PARIS (Reuters) - After a decade in the shadows, one of Europe’s mystery aerospace projects - the X9 helicopter - is taking shape as a potential future successor to Airbus Helicopters’ H145 light-twin chopper, with plans for a demonstrator underway, industry sources said.
FILE PHOTO: An Airbus H145 French Securite Civile rescue helicopter takes off past Canadair aircrafts during the presentation of the 2023 plan to fight against wildfires, at Nimes-Garons airbase, France, April 25, 2023.
A Berlin filing by Airbus Helicopters’ German subsidiary in 2020 noted its board had been briefed on the X9 and unspecified “further steps”.
Any future H145 successor would regenerate the German side of Airbus Helicopters, formed from a 1992 merger between divisions of France’s Aerospatiale and MBB of Germany to counter U.S. rivals led by Bell, Boeing and Sikorsky.
Those barriers are gradually fading as Airbus Helicopters adopts a system under which specialised sites pre-assemble major sections, which then converge on one site for final assembly.
Persons:
Christian Hartmann, Lutz Bertling, Leonardo’s
Organizations:
PARIS, Airbus Helicopters, Airbus, Canadair, REUTERS, Airbus Helicopters ’, Reuters, Chase, Associates, Aerospatiale, Bell, Boeing, Sikorsky, Eurocopter
Locations:
Nimes, Garons, France, Donauwoerth, Germany, Bavarian, German, GERMANY, Paris, U.S, Spain, Marignane, Airbus Germany