Eurocopter X3 Arrives in the US

Eurocopter's X3 high-speed demonstrator has arrived in the US to begin its national tour.


The prototype was transported to American Eurocopter's facilities at Grand Prairie, Texas by chartered air cargo freighter in readiness for the official start of the tour on 20 June.


Eurocopter say the aircraft will visit five, currently undisclosed locations to showcase its high speed and vertical flight characteristics.

The company says that in addition to aerial demonstrations performed with Eurocopter’s test team, the X3 will also be available for flight evaluations by selected US armed services personnel and civilian operators.


'After our highly successful flight trials in Europe, the United States tour will underscore the maturity of Eurocopter’s answer for applications where mission success depends on short flight duration through maximum cruise speed at reasonable operational costs," said Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter president and CEO.


'It’s important to demonstrate how we are applying innovation in responding to market needs with solutions that are available today, and which deliver cruise speeds 50 percent faster than standard helicopters at highly affordable costs – allowing for significant increases in productivity.'

Plans to send the X3 to the US were revealed at Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas earlier this year. A key part of the tour is to demonstate the technology to the US Army who is looking for a increased performance envelope for its next generation of vertical-lift aircraft.