Eurocopter Provides Video Link from France For Important Customer

The Royal Malaysian Air Force’s first EC725 helicopter (pictured in manufacturer photo) was unveiled Tuesday at the Langkawi Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition 2011 (LIMA) in a live video feed from Eurocopter’s French headquarters.

The production roll-out happened in Marignane, France, and was watched at LIMA by an audience that included Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Defense Minister Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

It is the first of 12 EC725s to be acquired by Malaysia for search & rescue and utility missions under terms of a contract signed in 2010. Eurocopter says it remains on schedule for the program, with a total of eight helicopters already in production, and the first to enter flight testing soon. Deliveries will begin next year and continue through early 2014.

As part of the EC725 contract, an agreement for 13 strategic cooperation projects was signed, including the integration of Malaysian industry into Eurocopter’s global supply chain, and the development of joint ventures with local companies to establish an in-country maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, a regional full-flight simulator center, and other capabilities.

FMI: www.eurocopter.com