Eurocopter receives first main fuselage assembly from Indonesian Aerospace for EC725 & EC225.

PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace (IAe) has delivered the first complete main fuselage assembly it has produced for Eurocopter EC725 and EC225 helicopters, marking a significant milestone in the companies’ industrial partnership.

This no. 1 assembly – consisting of the integrated upper and lower fuselage sections – was built at IAe’s Bandung, Indonesia facility in West Java. It is scheduled for delivery to Eurocopter’s Marignane, France headquarters site during December, to be integrated into either an EC225 or EC725 helicopter.

As part of a long-term industrial relationship established in 2008, Eurocopter has entrusted IAe with the production of EC725/EC225 upper and lower fuselages, along with the tail booms for these helicopters. The partnership calls for Indonesia to provide 125 component sets at a contract value of $43 million – with five upper fuselage sections and 23 tail booms already delivered from Indonesia to Eurocopter.

This activity has now moved into a new phase as the company builds the lower fuselage as well, enabling its integration with the in-country produced upper section to create a complete main fuselage assembly.

“IAe is a key supplier in Eurocopter’s global supply chain and an important part of the EC225/725 helicopter family’s industrial network,” said Ludovic Boistot, CEO of the Eurocopter Indonesia subsidiary. “The first integrated fuselage assembly’s handover demonstrates the vitality of our cooperation with IAe, which will continue to evolve in meeting Indonesia’s helicopter needs and the evolution of its aerospace sector.”

To boost the production capacity, IAe plans to expand its work shift and increase the number of assembly jigs at Bandung. In 2014, the Indonesian company is targeting deliveries of one EC725/EC225 tail boom every three weeks, and one integrated fuselage every 10 weeks.

The EC725/EC225 fuselage and tail boom production is an extension of IAe’s long-term industrial relationship with Eurocopter, which also includes the Indonesian company’s final assembly of NAS332 Super Puma helicopter versions at Bandung for close to 30 years.