German-owned COTESA GmbH will produce complex composite parts for the Boeing H-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter in a five-year first-time contract.
COTESA will manufacture portions of the Chinook tunnel cover section – a honeycomb-like core that makes up parts of the helicopter’s external skin – for the global Chinook fleet.
Sir Michael Arthur, president of Boeing Europe, commented: “The contract award to COTESA is a testament to the technology potential we see in Germany and another important milestone in our partnership with German industry.”
Jörg Hüsken, chief executive officer of COTESA, said: “We are excited to join the Boeing supplier team. This contract award provides an opportunity for COTESA and our employees to demonstrate our expertise in high-performance composite parts.”
Michael Hostetter, defense, space & security director of Vertical Lift Programs, Germany, added: “We are committed to bringing opportunities to German companies from across the Boeing enterprise and will continue to strive to bring the best of Boeing to industry and the best of industry back into Boeing.
“As a leading production facility for specialty composite parts, COTESA’s expertise will support our efforts to enhance the Chinook helicopter and deliver top-quality, cost-effective solutions to our customers.”
To date, Boeing has delivered more than 900 H-47 Chinook helicopters that are in operation in 19 countries, including eight NATO nations: Canada, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the US, allowing for increased interoperability between NATO nations during joint training and deployment operations worldwide.