EADS N.V. - The New EC 120 Assembly Line in China Heralds a Step Forward in terms of Co-operation between Eurocopter, CATIC and Hafei Aviation Industry Co. Ltd.

The official signing of the contract for the assembly in China of the EC 120 light helicopter - baptized the HC 120 for the Chinese market - took place in the presence of Mr. Jean Pierre Raffarin, the French Prime Minister, and Mr. Zeng Peiyan, the Chinese Vice Premier today in Paris.

This signifies a decisive step forward in the development of co-operation between Eurocopter, CATIC and Hafei Aviation Industry Co. Ltd.

The contract was signed by Mr. Fabrice Brégier, the Eurocopter President, Mr. Wang Bin, Chairman of the Board of Hafei Aviation Industry Co. Ltd (Harbin – China), and Mr. Yang Xueling, the Helicopter Department Director of CATIC (Peking – China).

This official signing follows the Memorandum of Agreement that was signed in November 2003 in Peking, following the visit to China of the French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, and the negotiations conducted between Philippe Camus, the EADS President, and Zhang Yanzhong, the AVIC II President, with the aim of strengthening relations between the Chinese and French and German aeronautical industries.

To mark this occasion, Fabrice Brégier declared: “The launch of a local assembly line for the EC 120 indicates a new step in the strengthening of co-operation with the Chinese helicopter industry. Considering the growing potential of the Chinese market, and the capacities of Chinese industry, I believe this is only the beginning and that other developments will swiftly follow.”

This agreement forms part of the new strategy implemented by Fabrice Brégier concerning emerging markets.

The EC 120 is a genuine commercial success with 400 aircraft already delivered to date, representing 75% of the five-seat helicopter market.

China is currently the largest potential market in the world for the helicopter industry and the EC 120 (HC 120 in China) is the 'ad hoc' aircraft for meeting the requirements of military, civil and parapublic customers.

The EC120 is recognized as an aircraft that is easy to maintain with a reasonable purchase price, which is perfectly adapted to these types of market.

Eurocopter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2003, EADS generated revenues of € 30.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 109,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second-largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.

For further information, please contact:

Jean Louis ESPES	Tel : + 33 (0)4 42 85 95 55 Fax : + 33 (0)4 42 85 95 64
	Eurocopter Aéroport International Marseille Provence F-13725 Marignane Cedex France
Christina GOTZHEIN	Tel : + 49 (0) 89 6000 64 88 Fax : + 49 (0) 89 6000 44 37
	Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH D-81663 München Germany
Chantal LINARES	Tel : + 33 (0)4 42 85 60 51 Fax : + 33 (0)4 42 85 95 64
	Eurocopter Aéroport International Marseille Provence F-13725 Marignane Cedex – France
Christoph MÜLLER	Tel : + 49 (0) 906 71 45 65 Fax : + 49 (0) 906 71 46 74
	Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH D-86607 Donauwörth Germany

The New EC 120 Assembly Line in China Heralds a Step Forward in terms of Co-operation between Eurocopter, CATIC and Hafei Aviation Industry Co. Ltd.

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