Comment on Eurocopter in Grand Prairie will build armed scout helicopter prototype

By BOB COX American Eurocopter of Grand Prairie, anticipating a new Army program, is building one of three armed scout prototypes to demonstrate it can transform a civilian helicopter into a combat aircraft.Its parent company, EADS North America, and Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that they will pay to develop the three aircraft in hopes of getting a leg up on the competition.The price will likely run into the millions of dollars, but the partners won't say how much.The companies will design and install much of the complex military communications, navigation, targeting and weapons systems in hopes of showing that a scout aircraft with demanding performance requirements can be built economically.Sean O'Keefe, chief executive of EADS North America, said it would be in the interests of the Defense Department and American taxpayers for the companies to spend their own money to develop the aircraft and reduce the risks of technological problems and runaway costs.O'Keefe announced the plan Thursday in a briefing at the Army Aviation Association of America convention being held in Fort Worth.American Eurocopter has added more than 30 engineers to its Grand Prairie work force to make the design changes and expects to hire a couple dozen more."We're in the market for some good engineers," President Marc Paganini said.Paganini's staff expects to have the first demonstration aircraft built and flying with the Army's communications and navigation systems by year's end.The aircraft would be a much-modified and armed version of Eurocopter's EC145 twin-engine helicopter.