The Australian Ministry for Defence is renewing its faith in Eurocopter by signing a contract
for 34 additional MRH90 helicopters and a 10-year support contract.
In addition to the contract signed in 2005 for 12 MRH90 troop transport helicopters, a new agreement for 34 additional NH90s was signed in Canberra on 30 June 2006. The new contract sets the number of aircraft to 46 for the Air 9000 program in TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) configuration.
As the structure of the NH90 is completely made from composite materials, the same version can be used by either the Army or the Navy. Forty of these aircraft will go to the Army, to replace the 48 Black Hawks currently in use, and six will go to the Navy to take over from the Sea King.
The contract signed by Australian Aerospace and the Defence Material Organization, has three parts: acquisition, the support contract, and the Program Agreement.
The order specifies that the first four helicopters will be built in Marignane and that,during this period, the Australian teams will receive training on the assembly line. The remaining aircraft will be assembled, tested and delivered in Australia.
As for the support, it contains two phases: three years of implementation alongside the acquisition, and 10 years of support (renewable on a three-year rolling basis) from the delivery of the first two helicopters in December 2007. Finally, the Program Agreement is a 20-year strategic partnership contract signed by the Commonwealth of Australia and Australian Aerospace. This positions the Eurocopter subsidiary as the privileged contact for all military helicopters.
For example, the Australian Army has asked the Australian Aerospace training specialists to provide very specific training to the onboard personnel of the Chinook CH-47.
The Air 9000 contract will generate an additional investment of 60 MAUD and the creation of 400 high tech jobs, including 120 at Australian Aerospace. In total, 1.1 billion Australian dollars will be injected into local industry over the contract period. The purchase of these 34 additional MRH90s definitively places Australian Aerospace as the major industrial partner for defense helicopters in Australia.
