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Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace has confirmed it will bid in its own right as a prime contractor for the ADF’s Air 9000 Phase 7 Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) program with an offering based on the EC135 helicopter.
“Australian Aerospace’s proposal will build on the company’s training systems design capability, its extensive Australian civil and military aircraft support infrastructure and the superiority of the EC135, the industry’s reference twin-engine training and light utility helicopter,” said Dr Jens Goennemann, CEO of Australian Aerospace.
“Australian Aerospace has a proud history of developing and implementing Army and Navy aircrew and technical training solutions for the ARH Tiger and MRH 90 and has worked closely with Army to support the development of its pilot training framework. Our experience on these programs, coupled with the extensive training capabilities of the Eurocopter Group, allows us to provide the ADF with an optimised and effective training system.” he said.
Eurocopter’s EC135 has already been selected as the helicopter platform for HATS by rival team Boeing/Thales, while a teaming of KBR, Qantas Defence Services and Elbit is understood too to be offering the EC135. The EC135 is in widespread civil use, while the Germany Army uses it for helicopter pilot training at Bückeburg.
