Airbus MOU Could Lead To Saudi Final Assembly Of Rotorcraft

RIYADH—A Saudi Arabian final assembly line for rotorcraft could become a long-awaited reality through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Airbus Helicopters and the Saudi National Center for Industrial Development.

The agreement was also backed by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and signed Feb. 8 on the opening day of the World Defense Show here. It aims to strengthen collaboration between Airbus and the government. It could also lead to the development of a rotorcraft engineering center that would support existing helicopter fleets and potentially evolve into a local assembly line for a “super-medium” helicopter. That would likely be the airframer’s H175, the company’s only helicopter which fits that size category. Airbus is also displaying an example of the H175 in the show’s static aircraft park.

It is unclear whether the aircraft would be used by Saudi Arabia’s military or civil authorities. But the H175 has been developed to meet the needs of both sectors.

No timelines for the development of the local capability have been outlined, but the ministry described it as the “most prominent” of the deals being signed at the event.

The two organizations will examine procurement options, export opportunities, and financing mechanisms, officials say. The MOU also covers training and technology transfer in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic diversification efforts.

Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters’ CEO, said the agreement was “paving the way for the development of local helicopter industry in the Kingdom.”

Local assembly of helicopters has long been an ambition of Vision 2030. Airbus previously signed an agreement with Scopa exploring similar initiatives, but this has ended.

At the last WDS, Leonardo Helicopters signed an agreement with the Saudi Ministry of Investment (MISA) and the country’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) that looked at local assembly of a range of helicopter models, rather than on a single type. Turkish Aerospace had an agreement with the National Company for Mechanical Systems (NCMS) focused on potential assembly of the T-625 Gokbey rotorcraft.