Helibras and Lider Sign MoU for Brazilian EC225 Production

Oil and gas helicopter operator Lider Aviation has signed an MoU with Helibras to become the first operator of Brazilian-built Eurocopter EC225s.

The deal, announced at the official opening of the new final assembly line (FAL) for the EC725 at Itajuba in Minas Gerais on 2 October, involves up to 14 EC225 aircraft with possible first deliveries in 2015.

The deal is the first of its kind for Helibras, which already has an agreement to build 50 EC725s for the Brazilian Armed Forces until 2017. According to insiders, the MoU was firmed up the night before the ceremony.

Francois Arnaud, VP of sales and marketing at Helibras, told Shephard that the deal would further improve the operator’s prospects of tendering with Brazilian state-owned oil and gas giant Petrobras, which increasingly demands that contractors make use of Brazilian sourced products and services.

'Petrobras, as the end user of these aircraft, is seeking more and more local content, whether that is Brazilian pilots, Brazilian services or a Brazilian product,' said Arnaud.

‘By choosing an aircraft that is built in Brazil, they have a better chance of winning new tenders or contracts with Petrobras. The aircraft gives them a real competitive advantage.'

Petrobras is the largest oil and gas company in Brazil, controlling around 80-90% of oil production in the country. Currently it is extracting around two billion barrels of oil each year but is looking to more than double this to five billion by 2020. Such exploration and production will boost the requirements for heavy helicopters in the oil and gas support role.

In the meantime, the company is continuing with the assembly of EC725s for the Brazilian armed forces under the H-XBR programme. Four aircraft have so far been delivered: one each to the navy, air force and army, while the fourth is operated by the VIP flight of the air force. The sixth aircraft will also be in a VIP configuration.

Three more aircraft will be delivered this year bringing the fleet of each air arm to two aircraft each. The fifth aircraft (BRA005) is being used as a prototype for the integration of the mission system that will eventually be fitted to eight of the 15 navy aircraft.

The system is being designed and developed by Embraer-owned Atech and the Brazilian bureau of Cassidian. Contracts for the eight systems were also signed at the ceremony.

'The system is based on the Samsara system used on small fixed-wing aircraft and will take information from the radar, electronic warfare systems, and the AIS,' said Giacomo Feres Staniscia, director of defence at Atech.

The prototype aircraft at Itajuba will be progressively upgraded with the new systems and will be eventually be capable of firing the MBDA AM39 Exocet anti-ship missile. The eight aircraft will then be fitted out to conduct the maritime security mission from land bases.

Officials from Brazilian Naval Aviation told Shephard the aircraft will also be embarked on the aircraft carrier NAe São Paulo and on amphibious assault ships. The first of the mission system equipped aircraft is due for delivery in October 2015.

Other contracts signed at the ceremony include a deal with Inbra Aerospace to develop an armour kit for 48 of the 50 aircraft.

The first 16 EC725s are being built at Eurocopter's facilities in Marignane, but work has already begun on the 17th, which will be entirely done in Brazil.

Work is also continuing on the upgrade of the Brazilian Army's AS565 Panther/Pantera fleet.

Helibras flew the first prototype of what it calls the Super Pantera K2 two weeks and the aircraft is now undertaking proving flights, and will be joined by a second prototype later. The upgraded aircraft feature the Arriel 2C2CG engine with reduced TBOs and a FADEC system.

To cope with the extra power, it features a modernised main gearbox while a 4-axis digital autopilot and VEMD is fitted. The aircraft also features armour around part of the tail boom on the port side.

The addition of the EC725s and the modernised Panthers is part of a wide-ranging modernisation of the Brazilian Army.

Despite expectations of large-scale purchases of helicopters for the Brazilian civil authorities in light of the country's successful bids to host both the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, the Brazilian government has decided that the armed forces will be used to provide security for such major events.

As a result programmes such as the Pantera and Fennec upgrades may be accelerated but this is still being negotiated between Helibras and the Brazilian government.

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