MARIGNANE, France, June 28 (UPI) -- A European aircraft manufacturer is drumming up business in the United States with a demonstration tour by its new hybrid helicopter.
Eurocopter, which has headquarters in France, said the advance marketing tour of its X-3 is being shown to civil and military helicopter users around the country over the course of a month.
First stop was Grand Prairie, Texas, which is the headquarters location of its U.S. subsidiary Americana Eurocopter.
"We have a very ambitious innovation strategy leading to the first flight of a new helicopter, a new version or a new technology demonstrator every year," said Eurocopter President and Chief Executive Officer Lutz Bertling. "Innovation is not just a buzzword, it's a way of life at Eurocopter.
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"With the ingenious design and unparalleled technology of our X3 demonstrator, we are well positioned to bring this type of helicopter to the market in the next 10 years."
The X-3 is a twin-engine experimental helicopter that will fly at more than 250 miles per hour. It features short wings with tractor propellers as well as a five-bladed main rotor. It was first flown in France in 2010 and the company intends to launch a product using X-3 technology in about eight years.
But while the X-3 was center stage at the demonstration at Grand Prairie Airport, Eurocopter didn't miss the opportunity to show off a full range of products with a fly-in of aircraft. Among them: the UH-72A Lakota, used by the U.S. Army, and the MH-65C Dolphin flown by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Other aircraft on display were the EC225, AS350 and EC145, used in commercial operations, law enforcement, medical evacuation and search-and-rescue missions.
As part of the demonstration guest pilots and observers were flown in the X-3.
Eurocopter said other demonstrations that are planned in the United States included Redstone Army Arsenal Airfield in Alabama; Fort Bragg's Simmons Army Airfield in North Carolina; Virginia's Manassas Regional Airport and military installations in the Washington area.
Eurocopter said it sees a wide range of purposes for its hybrid technology in future products, including long-distance search and rescue, coast guard missions, border patrol missions, passenger transport and off-shore airlift as well as inter-city shuttle service.
"It also is well-suited for military missions in special forces operations, troop transport, combat SAR and medical evacuation -- benefitting from the combination of higher cruise speeds with excellent vertical takeoff/landing performance," it said.
During flight testing in France in 2010, the X-3 showed "exceptional" climb and descent rates with low vibration levels, the company said.
