{{more citations needed|date=December 2010}} {{For|the parent company|Airbus Helicopters}} {{Infobox company | logo = Airbus Logo 2017.svg | logo_size = 200px | type = [[Subsidiary]] | foundation = 1969 | location_city = [[Grand Prairie]], [[Texas]] | location_country = United States | key_people = Romain Trapp, President of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and Head of the North America Region | industry = [[Aerospace]] | products = [[Helicopter]]s | num_employees = 780 | parent = [[Airbus]] | subsid = | homepage = http://airbushelicoptersinc.com | footnotes = }}

'''Airbus Helicopters, Inc.''' ('''AHI''') is a [[subsidiary]] of [[Airbus]]. Airbus Helicopters manufactures and markets a broad range of [[civil aviation|civil]] [[helicopter]]s. With large facilities in [[Texas]] and [[Mississippi]] and service centers throughout the country, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. has a U.S. footprint of over 860,000 square feet (79,900 m<sup>2</sup>) and controls over 50% of the U.S. market.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airbushelicoptersinc.com/about_us/the_industry_leader.asp|title = Airbus in the U.S.| date=16 June 2021 }}</ref>

==History== The company's history goes back to the now-defunct [[LTV Corporation]]. In 1968, Vought Helicopter Inc. (VHI), a subsidiary of LTV, built a facility at the [[Grand Prairie Municipal Airport]] in [[Grand Prairie, Texas]], for the purpose of marketing helicopters to North America built by [[Aérospatiale]], the French helicopter manufacturer. However, six years later Aérospatiale bought out VHI and took over its own marketing; two years later it changed VHI's name to Aérospatiale Helicopter Corporation (AHC). In 1980, AHC built its current Grand Prairie facility.

In 1992, [[DASA]] of Germany and Aérospatiale merged to form [[Eurocopter]]; AHC would become American Eurocopter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/1999/10/14/markets/dasa/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011210001042/http://money.cnn.com/1999/10/14/markets/dasa/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 10, 2001|title=Dasa, Aérospatiale to tie - Oct. 14, 1999|website=money.cnn.com|access-date=2018-04-18}}</ref>

In 2004, the facility in Columbus, Mississippi was opened and in 2006, became the manufacturing facility and home for the U.S. Army's [[UH-72A Lakota]] helicopter. The company was renamed Airbus Helicopters, Inc. on January 2, 2014.<ref>"[http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2014-01-14/airbus-helicopters-chief-has-clear-vision-oem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223040542/http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2014-01-14/airbus-helicopters-chief-has-clear-vision-oem |date=2014-02-23 }}”</ref>

==US production plants== Airbus Helicopters produces helicopters at two production plants in the US. * [[Grand Prairie, Texas]] ** Grand Prairie serves as the headquarters and main facility for Airbus Helicopters.<ref>"[http://www.airbushelicoptersinc.com/about_us/locations_Grand_Prairie_Texas.asp Airbus Helicopters – Grand Prairie]”</ref> It is adjacent to [[Grand Prairie Municipal Airport]]. ** Grand Prairie also serves as the Airbus Helicopters Training facility for North America with classrooms and full-motion simulators. * [[Columbus, Mississippi]] ** The recently constructed Columbus plant handles repairs, upgrades and customizations of all Airbus Helicopters models.<ref>"[http://www.airbushelicoptersinc.com/about_us/locations_columbus_mississippi.asp Airbus Helicopters - Columbus]”</ref> It is located on the [[Golden Triangle Regional Airport]]. ** The Columbus facility is also the home of the [[UH-72A Lakota]] (military EC145), the new Army helicopter. **Beginning in 2014, Airbus Helicopters will upgrade the Columbus Plant to a final assembly and test site for [[AS350]] helicopters. The plant plans to produce up to 60 additional AS350 helicopters annually by 2016.<ref>"[http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2013-10-22/eurocopter-upgrades-us-production-operation Eurocopter Upgrades U.S. Production Operations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221000328/http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2013-10-22/eurocopter-upgrades-us-production-operation |date=2013-12-21 }}.” Aviation International News Online, October 2013.</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Portal|Companies|Aviation}} * [http://www.airbushelicoptersinc.com/ Airbus Helicopters] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140210055921/http://northamerica.airbus-group.com/north-america/usa/en.html Airbus Group, Inc.]

[[Category:Companies based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]] [[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Texas]] [[Category:Helicopter manufacturers of the United States]] [[Category:Airbus subsidiaries and divisions]] [[Category:Airbus Helicopters]] [[Category:Grand Prairie, Texas]]