Helibras will upgrade 34 Eurocopter helicopters for the Brazilian Army

MINAS GERAIS, Brazil, 11 Jan. 2010. Helicópteros do Brasil S.A.-Helibras, a Eurocopter subsidiary in Brazil, will upgrade 34 AS365K Panther helicopters for Brazilian army aviation.

The upgraded cockpit will have new digital radio communication systems (Proline 21) and a glass cockpit with enlarged primary flight, navigation, tactical avionics displays. The new man/machine interface coupled with the 4-Axis Autopilot will reduce the pilot workload, company officials say.

The objective is to extend the life of the current fleet by at least 25 years. The upgrade consists of new Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 CG engine managed by a FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) with as much as a 15 percent increase in power efficiency.

Four aircraft will be upgraded per year with deliveries expected to take place between 2011 and 2021.