Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently acquired an H145

to fly over Dallas-Fort Worth-area traffic. (Airbus photo)

The Evolution of
Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
What was once a small subsidiary of LTV Corp. has become an integral part of the dominant
seller of civil helicopters.

By Robert W. Moorman

A
irbus Helicopters, Inc. is much like the dedicated theatre Responding to Customers’ Needs
actor, who gives all to his art regardless of whether the Chris Emerson, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. president and head of
house is full or not. In this instance, the less-than-full the North American region, who has held his post for two years,
house is the metaphor for poor sales of civil rotorcraft presently. explained the challenges facing the company. “When I arrived in
Yet, even in a down market, this Grand Prairie, Texas-based unit 2015, the downturn was there already. The question became: How
of the Airbus Group continues to evolve. can we capture business in a down market with five OEMs in the
marketplace?” Emerson said.
“The expanded role and footprint of AHI is an outstanding
example of the global strategy pursued in recent years by its One goal of Emerson’s was to determine “the differentiators”
parent,” said Ray Jaworowski, senior aerospace analyst with between Airbus and its competitors. “And the first thing to
Forecast International. This strategy, said Jaworowski, provides pop up was support,” he said. “In order for us to be successful
Airbus Helicopters with a presence in regional markets that in a tough market, we needed to be able to better respond to
can include anything from sales and marketing up to local customers’ needs.”
manufacturing of components and entire helicopters. Equally
important, this local presence enables the company to locate The company streamlined operations over the last 18 months
service and support centers near their customers.
July / August 2017

and restructured its management team. On-time parts deliveries

improved from 83% to 98% as the company increased spare parts
While civil helicopter growth in the short-term is projected for inventories from $86M to $150M, according to Anthony Baker, vice
outside of North America, over 25% of the world’s active single president of customer support. The parts are housed at the Dallas/
and twin-turbine civil helicopter fleet is based in the US, according Fort Worth Logistics Center at Dallas/Fort Worth
to aerospace analyst Brian Foley, referring to figures compiled by International Airport. In large part, the improvement in parts
data provider AMSTAT. “As such, the US is a very large market delivery is due to the sizeable investment in spares inventory by
and having a local presence there is a strategic must for foreign Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
manufacturers,” said Foley.

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“In order for us to be successful in a
tough market, we needed to be able
to better respond to customers’
needs.”

As part of its efficiency drive, the company moved its light gearbox
work to Airbus Helicopters Canada Ltd. in Fort Erie, Ontario, and
the twin gearbox work to Grand Prairie. In addition, the company
created a network of well-stocked premium service centers to Airbus H125 (previously the Eurocopter AS350B3e) AStars
and H130 (EC130) Ecostars sit in assembly at the Grand
improve the level of support the company provides to Airbus
Prairie plant in 2014. (AHS photo)
helicopter operators.

“This network of high-quality regional centers can respond

swiftly and provide commonly needed spare parts, repairs, and The company is working on adapting its Helionix integrated
service capabilities now available only from Texas,” said Baker. avionics system on other Airbus platforms. Helionix was
Service centers chosen to participate in the Premium Service introduced in 2013 on the H175 and has since been certified
Center program receive “financial incentives to increase spares for the H145 and H135; all three models are expected to receive
stocks.” The centers are measured and rewarded according to certification with a newer version of the Helionix avionics suite
their ability to meet agreed-upon commitments. Managers and this summer. Enhancements to Helionix include a synthetic
employees receive additional training in Airbus Helicopters vision system and helicopter terrain awareness and warning
support and services offerings. system (HTAWS).

A key development in the American

subsidiary’s overall support is that it is
authorized by Airbus Helicopters, under
its European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) certification, to perform airframe
and structure repairs on the entire
Airbus Helicopters product line in the
US. This is an opportunity to increase
business and revenues.

Airbus Helicopters, Inc. is one of four

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-
authorized organization designation
authorization (ODA) companies in the
US allowed to issue supplemental type
certificates (STCs) for Part 27 and Part 29
rotorcraft on behalf of FAA.

Having the STC authority allows the

Grand Prairie-based company to perform
“more autonomous designs in the US,” This is an aerial view of the Airbus Helicopters, Inc. plant in Grand Prairie, Texas.
said Michael Gardiner, senior director, (The adjacent facilities just off to the right make up the Safran Helicopter Engines
head of engineering. USA plant.) (Airbus photo)

Having the FAA and EASA authorizations to develop STCs and

to repair all of Airbus’ French and German designed models Helionix comes with four electronic displays designed to
has bolstered Airbus Helicopters, Inc.’s support capabilities improve pilots’ situational awareness. The system provides a
significantly. In effect, “the company has become an OEM within four-axis autopilot to reduce workload and a safety-enhancing
an OEM,” said Emerson. traffic advisory system (TAS) by assisting pilots in detecting and
July / August 2017

avoiding other aircraft.

Innovating
Gardiner listed several ambitious projects on which the Texas Additional projects in Texas include: lithium-ion battery
subsidiary and its parent are working. One is a health and usage technology for Airbus rotorcraft, improvements on the avionics
monitoring system (HUMS) for the light-single and twin-engine tactile devices, threat protection from electromagnetic
Airbus helicopters. The HUMS system is expected to be FAA interference (EMI) or ballistics, and improvement of technology
certified on the EC145 model by end of 2017. Certification on other for component services.
Airbus models will follow.

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 To accomplish these and other goals, the US company is further
developing its relationship with academia, said Gardiner. The
company is working on new technologies with the University of
Ohio at Dayton, Pennsylvania State University, Georgia Institute
of Technology (Georgia Tech), Mississippi State University in
Starkville, and the University of Texas in Austin and Arlington.

Other potential opportunities for Airbus, said Emerson, include

extending the operating life of the Airbus/Eurocopter EC120 with
a major overhaul and refurbishment program for civil buyers, as
well as looking at converting UH-72A helicopters into drones. The
first Lakotas delivered to the Army are now a decade old, and at the
12-year mark, they will require a major inspection and overhaul.
At some point, the Army will have to consider how much the
aircraft costs to repair and upgrade versus buying new aircraft.
If the Army starts divesting its older Lakotas, Airbus wants to be
4. Airbus conducted a US tour of the then-new AS332C1e
ready. Emerson said he’s brought in additional UAS engineering (now H215) low cost Super Puma in 2014. Grand Prairie was
expertise and is setting up a teaming agreement with an as-yet- responsible for supporting the launch. (AHS photo)
unnamed supplier as an initial step for the drone project.

Market Conditions
Over the last decade, growth — even in down years — was ensured
by increased sales of new helicopters to support emergency
medical services (EMS), tourism, law enforcement and the
offshore oil and gas industry. Now, all of these market segments
are flat or down, particularly the offshore market, whose fortunes
have tumbled as of late.

Changes to the rotorcraft sales market in recent years are

prompting AHI to innovate. “The [near-term] future for us is the
replacement market. Growth will occur outside of North America
mainly,” said Emerson. “And 2017 will look a lot like 2016.”
The Army bought the EC145 as the UH-72 Lakota, which
Emerson shared his views on the near-term future of the civil is built in Columbus, Mississippi. (Note the contrast to the
helicopter business. Air tour and EMS segments are no longer Dallas Cowboy’s newer H145, which has the Fenestron tail
growth markets for new rotorcraft, he said. rotor.) This aircraft, seen in Grand Prairie in 2014, was a
company demonstrator. (AHS photo)
Reduced sales in the EMS sector can be attributed in part to
continued consolidation in the sector. And yet there is good news
in this area on which to report. STAT MedEvac ordered three The buyer likes the H145 apparently. “The acquisition of our Airbus
H135s to replace older aircraft in its fleet, with delivery scheduled helicopter has been a dramatic addition to our organization in
for the fourth quarter of 2017. STAT is the first EMS operator in terms of production and efficiency and time management,” said
North America to operate the H135 equipped with the Helionix Jones. “The Dallas-Fort Worth area continues to grow at a very
avionics system. rapid pace, and we have business interests and meetings to attend
all over the metropolitan area. What was once a 45-minute drive
Airborne law enforcement has become a replacement market in traffic from our world headquarters to our stadium has been
lately, said Emerson. The Los Angeles Police Department, reduced to a 15-minute trip, and that makes all the difference in
California Highway Patrol and LA County Sheriff departments the world.”
are examples of law enforcement groups across the US that are
replacing their fleets of older helicopters. As for the military market, Emerson is candid. “The military side
has been propping us up during this downturn,” he said. “Our
The US Government allocated additional funding for more military equation is to sell the best of what worked commercially
helicopters for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the to the military,” he added.
largest US federal law enforcement agency. So additional sales of
Airbus Helicopters to CBP is anticipated, said the Airbus executive. While the Lakota delivery program is winding down, there is
ancillary business on which to capitalize. As of February 2017,
July / August 2017

The VIP market remains small, but there is a “growing awareness” the company delivered 36 UH-72A Lakotas to the US Army and
among corporate executives and VIP customers on the value of a secured a new five-year, $1B contract from the Army to provide
VIP-configured or utility rotorcraft transport, said Emerson. Of the logistics support for Lakotas based in and outside of the US.
20 new Airbus helicopter customers, 90% were for VIP rotorcraft.
One high profile customer is Texas neighbor Jerry Jones, owner of Despite a dramatic drop in total industry orders, Airbus
the Dallas Cowboys, who bought a six-seat, single-engine H145 as Helicopters, Inc. and Airbus Helicopters Canada delivered a
a timesaving aerial commuter. combined 60 new helicopters to the civil and parapublic markets
in 2016, 50% of the total deliveries in North America.

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Airbus Helicopters, Inc. Milestones
1960–1970s – Airbus Helicopters, Inc. traced
its history to the late 1960s as a subsidiary of
the now-defunct LTV Corp. Vought Helicopter
Inc., an LTV subsidiary, built a facility to market
Aerospatiale helicopters in North America. Six
years later, Aerospatiale bought out Vought and
began marketing helicopters on its own. A new
facility was built in Grand Prairie, Texas.

1992 – The helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale

and DASA (officially Deutsche Aerospace AG,
later Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG) merged to
form Eurocopter. Aerospatiale Helicopter Corp.
(AHC) became American Eurocopter.

2004 – American Eurocopter opened its facility

in Columbus, Mississippi. Two years later, the
site became the manufacturing plant for the US
Army’s UH-72A Lakota helicopter.

2014 – On Jan. 2, 2014, the company was The H125 AStar, now primarily built at the Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
renamed Airbus Helicopters, Inc. plant in Mississippi, is a strong seller in the airborne law enforcement
market. (Airbus photo)

New aircraft orders in 2016 included 33 H125 AStars built at the The recently approved fiscal 2017 defense budget provided
company’s Columbus, Mississippi, plant. The H145 is growing in funding and authorized acquisition of 28 additional Lakotas for
popularity in North America following seven orders placed in various missions other than training. There are no options as
2016. Airbus also booked orders for five earlier models in the H145 such, “but we continue to have discussions with the Army about
family, plus nine H130s and seven H135s. the possibility of additional Lakota orders,” stated the company.
“It is the Army’s duty to identify its mission requirements
The Texas Airbus’s growing role in the overall company is and the types of aircraft best suited to fulfill those mission
demonstrated by the regionalization of its global networks. requirements. We stand ready to work with the Army to meet
their requirements.”
Airbus Helicopters, the Marignane, France-based subsidiary of
Airbus, in recent years invested heavily in technology, spares In 2014, Airbus Helicopters designated the Columbus plant the
inventories and other steps to bolster its customer support. final assembly and test site for the H125, formerly the AS350.
The reason was two-fold: to offset the winding down of the
The business structure is worth noting. Airbus Helicopters, Inc. Lakota production, and to help boost completion-related revenue
is owned and governed by Airbus Group, Inc. (previously known and sales of new Airbus helicopters to US government and law
as EADS North America), which owns the American helicopter enforcement agencies.
business and all other US subsidiaries. Emerson reports directly
to Barry Eccleston, President and CEO of Airbus Americas, Inc. The Columbus plant served as a model for the now-operating
Airbus A320 commercial airliner final assembly plant in Mobile,
Emerson leads the three-pronged North American sector, which Alabama, according to Forecast International.
includes the Grand Prairie headquarters facility near Dallas.
This facility provides sales, marketing, completions, customer The Fort Erie, Ontario, facility manufacturers the cowlings for
support, training, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) several Airbus helicopters. Non-aerospace work is done there
work on Airbus rotorcraft mainly. as well.

The Columbus, Mississippi facility, which opened in 2004 to Airbus Helicopters, Inc.’s duties and sphere of influence within
perform light assembly and customization of AS350s and EC120s, Airbus has expanded significantly since beginning operations in
as well as component manufacturing, was expanded in the 2006– 1969. As the market improves, the importance of this Airbus
2007 timeframe to include assembly and production for the twin- division throughout the Americas is expected to grow.
engine UH-72A for the US Army. At present, all US Army-bound
Lakotas are built in Columbus. Fifteen-percent of the work on
July / August 2017

the Lakota is allocated to small businesses, as required by the About the Author
US government, and over half of the Columbus facility’s workers Robert W. Moorman is a freelance writer specializing in various
are veterans. facets of the fixed-wing and rotary-wing air transportation
business. With 30 years of experience, his writing clients include
The Army has placed orders for 412 utility Lakotas. It has funding several of the leading aviation magazines targeting the civil and
for 16 more for training purposes at Fort Rucker, but that order military markets. He can be reached at [email protected].
has not been placed pending resolution of Leonardo’s lawsuit
against the Army for not opening the bid to competition.

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