Kopter to establish production facility in the US

The first model of Kopter is the single-engine, turbine-powered helicopter SH09. At the moment the team is finalizing the design of Pre-Series 4. The start-up is aiming at certification in Europe End of this year and in the US in 2020. 300 people are already working for the group.

The helicopter will also be produced in the US. Kopter will lease a 84,700 sq. ft. facility from the Lafayette Airport Commission, which owns the state-of-the-art helicopter assembly buildings. This future production and support center comes in addition to the already existing and soon to be expanded Kopter sites in Switzerland, and will serve customers throughout the Americas. It is planned that it will ultimately source from U.S. suppliers parts representing more than 50 percent of the SH09’s value. 

Kopter plans to make an important capital investment in new equipment and building extensions. Kopter will begin hiring of personnel later this year and prepare operations by mid-2020. Deliveries of locally assembled helicopters will start in 2021. Kopter intends to create at least 120 new direct jobs by 2025 in Lafayette, while production should ramp up to an anticipated volume of around 100 SH09 per year.

“The Lafayette facility will become Kopter’s main hub for the U.S. and the Americas,” Löwenstein said. “It will include a large variety of activities, such as production, customization and assembly of our helicopters, as well as customer services. We expect to gradually hire up to 120 local personnel by 2025 to produce around 100 helicopters per year, and support the growing fleet in the region.”