Boeing has awarded Saxony-based COTESA GmbH a five-year contract to manufacture key components for the H-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.
This is the first Boeing contract award to COTESA.
Defence, Space & Security Director of Vertical Lift Programmes, Germany, Michael Hostetter, “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.”
Hostetter continued, “The Chinook is an industry-leading platform and a critical platform for the armed forces of 19 countries around the world. Its proven ability to meet mission requirements, including humanitarian and disaster-relief operations, makes it even more important for us to continuously bring the best of industry to the platform – and that’s the case with COTESA.”
With this agreement, COTESA is joining Boeing’s already established supply chain in Germany, in addition to its global supply chain of more than 20,000 suppliers and partners around the globe.
Speaking, President, Boeing Europe, Sir Michael Arthur, said, “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.”
On his part, Chief Executive Officer of COTESA, Jörg Hüsken, “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.”
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.
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 U.S., allowing for increased interoperability between NATO nations during joint training and deployment operations worldwide.
Boeing has been an active partner in the German aerospace industry for decades.
With 600 local employees in Germany, Boeing supports an additional 12,000 jobs through its suppliers and partners.
In 2016, Boeing and its supply chain partners spent almost $1.3 billion with nearly 100 suppliers located across Germany.
Boeing invests in a growing portfolio of research and technology projects with German industry, universities and research organizations and engages in industrial partnerships with companies of all sizes across Germany that benefit the local economy.
