A world-leading helicopter manufacturer announced here Wednesday a plan to co-develop in China new, advanced heavy-lifting aircraft in the hope of capitalizing on soaring demand in this country and around the globe.

Norbert Ducrot, vice president of Eurocopter, said in an interview with Xinhua that his company and China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) will each invest 200 million Euros to jointly design, develop and manufacture the six-ton EC 175 helicopter.

"We will build two assembly lines for the EC 175 by 2008 in Harbin," said Ducrot, who heads Eurocopter's Asia Pacific sales.

The dual-use EC 175 will be used for transportation, policing and search and rescue. Until now China has had little ability to develop its own heavy-lifting aircraft.

"A joint design office has already been set up in Harbin for co-developing EC 175 with the latest technologies," Ducrot said, adding that dozens of Chinese engineers will receive special training in Europe.

Eurocopter, an affiliate to European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), began its cooperation with Chinese partners in the 1960s when it worked on aircraft such as the Alouette III the Dauphin SA 365 and the light-lifter EC 120.

The 1.6-ton EC 120 Colibri, which was co-developed under a program initiated in 1992, is the most profitable, selling in China and Europe.

"The profitability of EC 120 makes us confident of future success although we are very careful in the EC 175 cooperation," Ducrot said.

Eurocopter estimates that the demand for high-end helicopters will be tremendous over the next five years. Six-ton helicopters, such as EC 175, will face a worldwide market demand of 800 aircraft.

"China is a huge market," Ducrot said, "and we should be prepared for the future."

Harbin Aviation Industry Group and the Jingdezhen-based Changhe Aircraft Industries Group, both under AVIC II, are two helicopter manufacturers in China.

Chinese manufacturers are learning from Eurocopter latest technologies on aircraft engines, electronic control and composite systems, an expert within the industry said.

In October 2003, EADS bought into Avi China, a spin-off of AVIC II, by acquiring five percent (US$30 million) of an initial public offering at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2006)