Friday, February 10, 2012 Last update: 11:33 AM
The Best of U.S. Company Technology News

LOS ANGELES--- Ducommun Incorporated Announces $21 Million Contract for Carson Helicopter Composite Main Rotor Blades

print this article - email to a friend - join our eNewsletter
Submitted by admin on 6/27/2007 @ 7:34 AM
Companies mentioned in this article: Ducommun, Inc.

Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE:DCO) today announced that its Ducommun AeroStructures, Inc. (DAS) subsidiary has been awarded a follow-on contract for the fabrication and delivery of advanced composite main rotor blades for the S-61 helicopter. The composite main rotor blades are utilized and sold by Carson Helicopter as part of an upgrade package that provides the end user with additional payload, speed and range on the same fuel capacity. Ducommun AeroStructures has already produced over 200 composite main rotor blades since 2004. The value of the follow-on contract is approximately $21 million beginning in 2008 and includes plans for DAS to increase its current production rate. The increase in production rate will permit Carson Helicopter to support existing and emerging requirements for both commercial and military applications. All work will be performed at DAS’s Monrovia, California, facility.

Joseph C. Berenato, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ducommun, stated, “We are pleased to have been selected to support Carson Helicopter on this follow-on contract which reaffirms our ability to support our customers with concurrent engineering, manufacturing and assembly capabilities on start-up programs. We believe the Carson blade to be the only all-composite helicopter blade being manufactured by a company other than an original equipment manufacturer. Our long-term involvement with manufacturing helicopter components and assemblies, including the Apache helicopter main and tail rotor blades, has provided DAS with the experience to support Carson in the launch of this all-composite main rotor blade. DAS will continue to seek additional opportunities in the helicopter blade marketplace.”

Ducommun AeroStructures manufactures large, complex structural components and assemblies in aluminum, specialty alloys such as titanium, metal bond and composites for a wide variety of military and commercial aerospace applications.

Founded in 1849, Ducommun Incorporated provides engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defense industry.