The Chinese company will produce part or even the whole piece of the fuselage of A109E in future.

 

Agusta Westland is a company under the Italian high-tech conglomerate Finmeccanica. The company's present assembly line can assemble 12 A109E helicopters every year.

 

A109E is one of the fastest light double-engine helicopters. Since its launch in 1997, more than 470 units have been sold around the world. Including the previous version of A109, the company has so far sold 1,800 such helicopters across the world.

 

In the past two years, the Italian helicopter company has trained Chinese workers in the joint venture, and three A109E helicopters have been delivered, including to the China Central Television Station and Beijing police before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

 

The production line in Italy will deliver two A109S, an improved model of A109E helicopter, to the Maritime Safety Administration of China which has just signed the contract.

 

The Italian company has denied earlier reports that it would transfer all of its production activities for the A109E to China eventually.

 

Jiangxi Changhe Aviation Industries Corporation, under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, is a leading helicopter manufacturer in the country. It has developed and manufactured Z-8 and Z-11 helicopters.