I have not had a close look at the 145 head , is it essentially the same as the Bk117 ?.
Just checked EC45 site ,it looks identical to BK117.
I think a key sentance in the press release is "sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology" The easy blade fold feature looks useful .
Back to Nicks earlier replies , why would any Sikorsky have more than 4 blades then ?.
And just to nit pick Nick missed out one element which is Non Recurring cost ( engineering and tooling ) this unit element will be reduced ( by a small amount ) per blade if you are making 20% more blades.
Last edited by widgeon; 1st May 2006 at 12:44.