Joint Venture to Make Helicopters in Zhangjiakou
By Winny Wang, Shanghai Daily | Apr. 09, 2007
US-based Hiller Aircraft Corporation will set up a plant in Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei Province, to produce civilian helicopters.
Hiller, set up in 1942, and a new Chinese aviation company have agreed to invest US$15 million in a joint venture to produce civilian light helicopters used for spraying pesticide, fighting forest fires, rescue operations and other projects, Xinhua News Agency reported on April 9, citing Hebei Daily.
Construction is expected to kick off this year and the plant will begin working next year to produce five helicopters in its first batch.
The plant will be capable of producing 500 helicopters annually after three to five years and its annual production value will exceed 200 million yuan (US$25.87 million), the report said.
China will need more than 2,763 civilian helicopters from 2006 to 2026, Zhang Hongbiao, general manager of China Aviation Industry Corporation II, said in an earlier report.