Leonardo acquires Swiss helicopter company Kopter

Move replaces planned investment in developing new single-engine helicopter.

Leonardo has signed a contract with Lynwood (Schweiz) AG to acquire 100% of Kopter Group AG for roughly $185 million. Within Leonardo’s Helicopter Division, Kopter will act as an autonomous legal entity and competence center. The transaction is expected to close during Q1 2020.

The move allows Leonardo to leverage innovation, new capabilities, and engineering skills developed by the young, agile Swiss company, replacing Leonardo’s planned investment in developing a new single-engine helicopter.

Kopter’s SH09 single turbine engine helicopter offers opportunities for future technological developments, including hybrid/electrical propulsion solutions.

Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo CEO, said, “With this acquisition we will bring on board innovative skills and technologies that will complement our own and will also contribute to keeping us at the forefront of innovation and competitiveness whilst maintaining our financial solidity.”

Managing Director Leonardo Helicopters Gian Piero Cutillo said, “It complements perfectly our existing product portfolio adding a promising rotorcraft that will greatly benefit from our industrial know-how, service and training experience, and commercial network.”

Marina Groenberg, CEO of Lynwood, stated, “Lynwood is very proud to have strongly supported the development of Kopter and its SH09 program over the past 10 years. It is now the right time for Leonardo to take over as they are a perfect match for Kopter at this stage of development.”

Kopter’s CEO Andreas Loewenstein declared, “Within Leonardo, we get the support to finalize our development on various fronts while keeping the ability to remain the agile single-engine pioneer that we are.”

Primarily based in Switzerland, Kopter has been operating since 2009, originally designated Marenco SwissHelicopter and rebranded as Kopter Group AG in 2018. The SH09 single engine helicopter program – now flying three prototypes – combines the latest available technologies and safety features to offer excellent performance at affordable cost for a variety of applications.

In March 2019, Kopter selected Lafayette, Louisiana, as its hub to assemble and support its helicopters throughout the U.S. and Americas.