Meeting took place this Monday (27) in Brasília (DF)
Air Force Agency, by Lieutenant Marayane Ribeiro
A partnership that has already lasted two decades was strengthened on Monday (27), with the visit of the CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines Brazil, François Haas, to the Commander of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), Air Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Air Force Command, in Brasilia (DF), and was also attended by Safran’s Commercial Director, Rodolfo Perez, and the Customer Support Coordinator, Juliano Cabral.
The partnership began about 20 years ago, when the first H-34 Super Puma (Aérospatiale AS.332 M/M1 Super Puma) arrived in the country. As a reflex of the offset contracts, the Turbomeca company, which belongs to the Safran group and is dedicated to the maintenance of engines, settled in Rio de Janeiro to make the inspections of the turbines of the new helicopters.
Currently, one of the main partnerships between FAB and Safran is the H-XBR (Helibras/Eurocopter H-36/VH-36 Caracal – Eurocopter H225M¹) Project, which sought, more than ten years ago, to meet the demands of the Armed Forces, in a pioneering joint procurement of, initially, 50 aircraft. This agreement aimed to transfer military helicopter technology and contributed to the development of the National Defense Industry, specifically the one focused on the rotary wing aeronautical area.
“Today, Mr. François Haas came to present us with the company’s investment plan for the next 20 years, which may include services related to the THX project, which will be the new training helicopters to be acquired. This collaboration is one of the best examples of how, with Brazilian labor, we are overhauling, maintaining and repairing engines all over the world. It is very good to see the projects of companies that seek to leverage the national defense industry working well,” said the Air Force Commander.
On his part, Safran’s CEO said that the visit, in addition to presenting the new plans, sought to provide an update on the Contract for Logistics Support Services (CLS) of the helicopter turbines that are part of the H-XBR Project. “Our company has been operating in Brazil for more than 40 years and is preparing to, in the next two years, make a financial investment aiming to expand the plant, improve efficiency, and be carbon neutral. In addition, we gave Lieutenant Brigadier Baptista Junior an update on our H-XBR project and discussed future possibilities. We will be ready to support the Brazilian Armed Forces in any way we can,” he concluded.
¹The Eurocopter H225M, in FAB is called H-36/VH-36 Caracal (also called Super Cougar – EC 725) is a long-range tactical transport helicopter developed from models of the Super Puma/Cougar family for military purposes. With powerful engines, it can carry up to 29 seated soldiers along with a crew of two.
Photo: Sgt. Figueira / CECOMSAER *** Translated DEFCONPress Team ***