French newspaper Le Figaro yesterday reported that Eurocopter has secured French Government funding for the development of its new 4-tonne X4 model.  With 550 million euros promised, the multi-national manufacturer and its partners will also develop an ambitious program in technology including engines, avionics, rotor blades, fuselage and so on.  The four tonne market is going to be a highely contested one after AgustaWestland unveiled the AW169 at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2010. “It was really important to get that amount for the technological leap that makes the difference with the competition,” says one expert dossier.  The X4 is very much focused on the French arm of Eurocopter, coming as it does to replace the Dauphin which predates the formation of the company – initially the merger of German manufacturer MBB with the French Aerospatiale’s helicopter division.