Airbus Helicopters has agreed to buy ZF Luftfahrttechnik from its parent company, ZF Friedrichshafen.
Headquartered in Kassel-Calden, Germany, ZF Luftfahrttechnik is a leading manufacturer and maintainer of dynamic components for light and medium helicopters. It is currently an MRO service partner for most of the German Bundeswehr helicopter fleet.
The company has delivered more than 10,000 gearboxes around the world. It supplies the H135 main gearbox and the tail gearbox of the Tiger helicopter. It also has a share in the H145 programme.
In 2020, the company achieved revenues of €85.3 million and employed 370 people.
ZF Luftfahrttechnik has a long-standing relationship with Airbus Helicopters and its predecessors, having initially collaborated on the Alouette II and Bo 105 helicopters.
According to Airbus, the acquisition of ZF Luftfahrttechnik is part of the helicopter manufacturer’s strategy to strengthen its MRO capabilities. The move will also help to improve the fleet availability of the programmes covered by ZF Luftfahrttechnik’s product offerings.
Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, explained: “By adding ZF Luftfahrttechnik to our portfolio, we will further broaden our range of MRO capabilities and secure additional competences in the area of dynamic systems for Airbus Helicopters, adding value for our global customer base. With ZF Luftfahrttechnik, we will be able to improve our service offering for our customers, including key partners like the German Bundeswehr, thus addressing their MRO needs faster with an increased level of integration.
“ZF Luftfahrttechnik’s balanced and global business model fits very well into our approach to the worldwide helicopter market.”
The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals, as well as other conditions usual in this type of transaction. The final completion date is expected to be before the end of this year.
