Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
Ground-tests of prototype PT1 began on May 28, as French Prime Minister Manuel Valls toured the company’s facilities at Marignane near Marseille, but company officials will not say whether the aircraft will be able to make its first flight before the Paris air show next week. Organizers of the show say the H160 will be present, but likely only in mock-up form.
The 50-50 JV—announced by the two companies on June 10—will be established in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and provide production engineering for the power gear drive-train components.
