The first EC635 destined for the Swiss Air Force successfully performed its maiden flight at Eurocopter’s Donauwörth facility on May 23. The program, which foresees the delivery of a total of 18 EC635 for transport and training missions and two EC135 for Federal Air Transport Services and for which the contract was signed in April 2006, is fully on schedule. The EC635s/EC135s will successively replace the Swiss Air Force’s Alouette III helicopters.

Following the first flight, the helicopter will return to the production facility for the qualification of customer-specific equipment and further tests.

Deliveries of the helicopters will take place between March/April 2008 and the end of 2009. The first four machines will be delivered from Eurocopter’s facility in Donauwörth, while the remaining 16 aircraft will be assembled and delivered by RUAG Aerospace in Alpnach, Switzerland. RUAG will also be responsible for the industry level maintenance of the Swiss Air Force’s EC635s/EC135s throughout their service life.