Marignane, France, October 31, 2010: Eurocopter today signed an agreement for the supply of seven AS350 B3 Ecureuil helicopters to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture for crop spraying missions over vast fields of date palm trees – which provide a major source of agricultural revenue for the country.

Deliveries of these single-engine workhorse rotary-wing aircraft will begin in the first quarter of 2011, with Eurocopter providing training sessions for Iraqi personnel at its facility in South Africa.

The AS350 B3 is perfectly tailored for hot and high operations in Iraq, and will be fully equipped to perform the aerial spraying of date palm tree fields that occurs several times each year.

“This is an extremely important contract for Eurocopter, as the AS350 B3 fleet will contribute to the development of a stable economy in Iraq,” said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Vice President Sales and Customers Relation. “We are fully committed to delivering on our commitments for this order, and Eurocopter is ready to respond to other helicopter mission requirements in the country.”

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 15,600 people. In 2009, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover of 4.6 billion Euros, orders for 344 new helicopters, and a 52 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 25 subsidiaries and participations on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 10,500 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.