Seven AS350 Helos Included In The Deal

The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture plans to buy seven Eurocopter AS350 B3 Ecureuil helicopters for crop spraying missions over vast fields of date palm trees – which provide a major source of agricultural revenue for the country. The Iraqi government and Eurocopter signed the agreement Sunday.

Deliveries of these single-engine workhorse rotary-wing aircraft will begin in the first quarter of 2011, with Eurocopter providing training sessions for Iraqi personnel at its facility in South Africa. Eurocopter says the AS350 B3 is perfectly tailored for hot and high operations in Iraq, and will be fully equipped to perform the aerial spraying of date palm tree fields that occurs several times each year.

“This is an extremely important contract for Eurocopter, as the AS350 B3 fleet will contribute to the development of a stable economy in Iraq,” said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Vice President Sales and Customers Relation. “We are fully committed to delivering on our commitments for this order, and Eurocopter is ready to respond to other helicopter mission requirements in the country.”

FMI: www.eurocopter.com