Eurocopter, an affiliate of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), will work with China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) to produce six-ton-class lifter helicopters in China.

Norbert Ducrot, vice-president of Eurocopter, told Xinhua News Agency last week that the two sides would each invest 200 million euros (US$240 million) on research and design of the helicopter, called Z-15, in China.

Two assembly lines will be set up, one in France and the other in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and the new lifter is expected to start trial flights in 2009.

You Zhiqiang, director of the promotion office of Harbin Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), which is under AVIC II, said the new lifter will be for civilian use in transportation, search and rescue.

"Experts from the two companies have already began joint research on the lifter," he said, adding that the helicopters will be on sale by 2012.

Eurocopter began to tap the Chinese market in the 1960s when it worked on aircrafts such as the Alouette III and the light-lifter EC 120.

It is the third co-operation between Eurocopter and HAIG, said You.

The first co-operation was in the early 1980s, when HAIG introduced the design of its Z-9 helicopter, a multi-purpose light helicopter. The Z-9 is now widely used in the military.

The second co-operation was the most successful, said You. In 1992 the two sides co-designed a 1.6-ton light lifter called the EC 120.

The EC 120 proved to be a hit in the Asian Pacific Region, with an average annual sale of some 70 helicopters, You said.

However, You said HAIG just contributed a little in the designing process and the core technology was mainly from Eurocopter.

This time, the two sides will each contribute half of the research and design work, You said.

Source: China Daily