Posted by Skyler Frink
MARIGNANE, 28 Nov. 2011. Eurocopter delivered the first of six EC145s ordered to date by the Kazakh Ministries of Defense and Emergencies. A total of 45 of the helicopters are to be purchased, and will be assembled by the new joint venture Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering, in which Eurocopter and Kazakhstan Engineering have a 50/50 share.
This initial delivery comes on the heels of the industrial cooperation and distribution contract signed last June by Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling and President of Kazakhstan Engineering Bolat Smagulov, in the presence of the French and Kazakh prime ministers François Fillon and Karim Massimov.
The new joint venture, Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering, will be assembling and customizing EC145s at its facilities near the Astana International Airport in Kazakhstan. The company will also enable Eurocopter to provide its customers in Kazakhstan and Central Asia with better local services for helicopter maintenance as well as training for pilots and technicians. In addition, Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering will be pursuing sales activities throughout the region. Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering is scheduled to deliver the initial six EC145s to the Kazakh Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergencies before the end of the year for search and rescue and medical evacuation missions. The remaining helicopters are to be delivered by the end of 2016.
