French defense company Safran has signed a contract with the Chinese aerospace company GDAT to provide support in the field of helicopter engines.
GDAT, one of China’s leading helicopter leasing and distribution companies, also offers repair, maintenance, and emergency rescue services. Safran’s initial agreement will involve providing hourly support services for Makila engines powering GDAT’s Airbus-produced H225 transport helicopters.
Another agreement will focus on the Arrano engines in the H160 medium-class helicopters, which are currently being transferred from Irish lessor GD Helicopter Finance to a Shanghai-based company. These contracts will cover a total of 140 engines and will include in-service support, maintenance, and overhaul operations.
Safran announced that the agreements were signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to France. Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines, said, “We are particularly proud to have the trust of a leading helicopter company like GDAT Group. GDAT Group has an ambitious fleet development strategy, and we will support them with the best services for their successes.”
GDAT, based in Shanghai, was established in 2012 and primarily operates in Ningbo and Suzhou. The company has 21 Airbus H225 helicopters, and its Desheng General Aviation division is responsible for municipal and provincial emergency rescue services nationwide. In April 2024, the firm procured 20 H175 general-purpose helicopters from Airbus.
A year earlier, the headquarters signed another contract for the procurement of 50 new H160 helicopters for civilian and public use. In 2019, Airbus announced the delivery of an H215 heavy-class helicopter to China as part of a separate project with the country’s state-owned electricity company.
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