Page 20 - World Airnews Magazine January 2020 Edition

HELICOPTERS NEWS

FRENCH FLEETS RECEIVE DASSAULT AVIATION INVESTS

AIRBUS SUPPORT IN PYROTECHNICS

assault Aviation has opened a new pyrotechnic facility at

Dits Marti gnas-sur-Jalle site.
The inauguration ceremony was led by Eric Trappier, chairman and

irbus Helicopters and CEO of Dassault Aviation, along with site director Pascal Nibaudeau.

Aits partner Heli-Union The event was attended by the general secretary of the prefec-
have signed a global support ture of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde Thierry Suquet, president
contract for the Cougar and Car- of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region Alain Rousset, vice president
acal helicopters in service in the of the Bordeaux métropole metropolitan area Alain Anziani and

French Army and Air Force. mayor of Martignas, Michel Vernejoul.

This agreement signed with Also present were representatives from official bodies, the aero-

the DMAé, the defence agency nautical ecosystem in southwest France and the media.

in charge of improving the The pyrotechnic activities of Dassault Aviation were previously

availability of military aircraft in based in Argenteuil and Poitiers. All of these activities have now

France, is the first contract that been relocated to the new facilities in Martignas that include:
Airbus Helicopters has signed • A 2,500m², tripod-shaped building in which each wing is

as part of the new approach dedicated to a specific function, production of long products

initiated by the French Minister (cutting cords, expansible tubes and transmission lines) in the

of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. “This contract is the result of months of cooperation with the first, manufacture of pyromechanisms and initiators in the

This long-term contract aims at increasing the availability of the DMAé and I am confident it will deliver the level of support that second and design study activities and test laboratories in Cutting the ribbon, officially opening the new

Caracal and Cougar fleets by making Airbus Helicopters responsible the French armed forces expect to perform their critical missions the third. pyrotechnic site at Martignas-sur-Jalle

for the entire scope of the aircraft’s support. Airbus Helicopters both nationally and in operational theatres abroad”. • A bunker for safe storage of explosive components.

has committed to limiting the number of aircraft in heavy mainte- Airbus Helicopters will also propose, in cooperation with its part- “Aeronautical pyrotechnics is a rare, high-technology specialty. through. Dassault Aviation has its own expertise in this technology

nance by reducing the duration of the maintenance cycles for each ner Heli Union, a maintenance centre close to one of its customer’s The relocation of this activity to Martignas is fully in line with our for all its combat aircraft.

helicopter type by up to 20%. Additionally, the commitments taken sites in Pau and will also involve a significant number of French transformation plan, ‘Leading our Future,’ launched at the end Pyrotechnics is used on space launch vehicles for engine ignition

on logistics and technical assistance will reduce the downtime SMEs in the equipment repair activities. of 2016. This plan aims to make our company more flexible and and stage and payload fairing separation. It is also used for satellite

linked to these activities. The French armed forces operate 18 H225Ms, also known as competitive, without modifying our DNA. Today’s ceremony marks ejection and for deployment of solar panels and antennas.

“Airbus Helicopters has committed to ambitious performance Caracal in French service, missions, as well as 26 Cougars, some of another successful step in our transformation”, said Eric Trappier. This is achieved using a variety of computer-controlled pyro-

levels for the support of the Cougar and Caracal helicopters in which are currently performing troop transport, special forces and Pyrotechnics makes a key contribution to the safety of fighter pi- technic systems such as multi-layer relays, valves and transmission

service in the French Army and Air Force” said Bruno Even, Airbus search and rescue missions in demanding theatres of operation lots. It allows instantaneous transmission of the ejection signal and lines). Dassault Aviation deploys these competences on Ariane 5,

Helicopters CEO. worldwide. Q ensures that the canopy shatters to allow the ejection seat to pass the Vega rocket, some non-European launchers, and satellites. Q
NEWS
GULFSTREAM OPENS NEW PARTS
DISTRIBUTION CENTRE
Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream more than $45 million. Parts supply
Customer Support. and availability in the UK remain a high

ulfstream Aerospace has “In preparation for Brexit, we be- priority for our organization as the larger
European market evolves."
Gmoved its European cus- gan moving parts from our London
Gulfstream’s new European parts hub near

tomer support parts distribution Heathrow-area distribution centre into Amsterdam is approximately 2,323 m 2. The
centre from the London area to near Amsterdam several months ago. The facility, located in the Fokker Logistics Park,

Amsterdam location is fully operational,

Amsterdam. and we have already transitioned more is expected to have approximately (US) $28

The new centre adjacent to Amster- than $20 million in inventory. All stock in million in inventory at the end of last year.
dam Airport Schiphol houses high-usage Amsterdam is customs-cleared into the Gulfstream’s partner in this operation

items and provides timely support to EU, allowing for faster access to parts." is Crane Worldwide Logistics, which pro-

company-authorized maintenance facili- “Our customers travelling through or vides the warehouse space and handles

ties in the European Union (EU). based in the United Kingdom will contin- logistics services.

“We made this move to ensure the ue to receive support from our compa- Gulfstream maintains a worldwide Visitors view the new pyrotechnic facilities.

continued speedy delivery of parts and ny-owned London-Luton Airport service spare parts inventory of more than (US) The tour was led by chairman and CEO

materials to customers in the EU,” said centre, which has a parts inventory of $1.6 billion. Q of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier along
with site director Pascal Nibaudeau
World Airnews | January 2020 World Airnews | January 2020
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