Skip to main content

Chinese company acquires US helicopter manufacturer Enstrom

China's Chongqing Helicopter Investment Company (CQHIC) has acquired US company Enstrom: a manufacturer of light helicopters for commercial and military applications.
The acquisition, announced on 7 January, is one of the most high profile in a series of transactions in which Chinese companies have purchased US companies involved in the aerospace and defence sector.
Statements said that CQHIC's acquisition of Enstrom was concluded on 27 December 2012 when the two companies agreed an equity settlement deal, the value of which was not revealed. CQHIC and Enstrom had earlier signed an equity purchase agreement, under which the Chinese company, based in Chongqing in Southwest China, submitted a bid to acquire a 100% stake in Enstrom.
The two companies held an "acquisition closing ceremony" on 4 January, and an Enstrom spokeswoman later confirmed to IHS Jane's that the deal had been approved by US authorities. "CFIUS [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] approval was obtained prior to the sale being finalised," she said.
CQHIC's chairman, Huang Yong, said in the statement that the acquisition of Enstrom will improve the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of CQHIC and that it would help Enstrom fulfil a target of securing a 30% market share of the Chinese light helicopter sector over the next 10 years. This business sector is expected to grow rapidly within the next decade when Beijing eases, as it has pledged to do so, long-standing rules governing use of low-altitude airspace.
Enstrom President Jerry Mullins said that that deal will enable Enstrom to expand to a "new level". "It will provide Enstrom with the needed resources to enhance marketing efforts in China and around the world," he said. "This strong ownership will allow further growth of our business in Menominee, Michigan, to meet the demands of the increasing markets around the world, especially Asia."
Enstrom is focused on the production of light helicopters for law enforcement, commercial, and private applications, although it has secured some notable military contracts. The company won deals in 2010 to provide the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force and the Royal Thai Army with 30 and 16 units respectively of its 480B multirole light helicopter. Both forces are using the 480B for training purposes.
CQHIC's core activities include the research, development, and production of helicopter parts and components. The company also undertakes maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities.
The company was established in January 2011 with a registered capital of CNY3 billion (USD477 million). Its major shareholders comprise a range of regionally state and privately owned enterprises including the Chongqing Electrical and Mechanical Holding Group, the Chongqing Fu Asset Management Company and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Development Investment Group.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re...

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has ...

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, sp...