Argentina Cicaré is an Argentinian
ultralight helicopter manufacturer.
Brazil Helibras or
Helicópteros do Brasil S.A. (Helicopters of Brazil, Inc.) is wholly owned subsidiary of Europe's
Airbus Helicopters for the South American market.
China Harbin Aircraft Industry Group and
Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, subsidiaries of
AVIC, are
China's major helicopter manufacturers.
European Union / Europe The major western European companies in the industry are
Airbus Helicopters, the world's largest helicopter manufacturer, and
Leonardo Helicopters, representing the second largest. As of 2020, the two firms hold respectively 48% and 20% of the worldwide helicopter manufacturing market share.
India In India, the
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is the main helicopter manufacturer for the
Indian Armed Forces,
Indian Coast Guard. It is the only major manufacturer in South Asia that designs and manufactures both military utility and attack helicopters and also their civilian models.
Indonesia PT Dirgantara Indonesia (
Indonesia Aerospace in English) is a company specializing in the military, police, and civilian markets. This company also works with
Airbus Helicopters for the Southeast Asia market. PT Dirgantara Indonesia also produces fixed-wing aircraft.
Japan In Japan the three main manufacturers of helicopters are the aviation arms of the
Japanese conglomerates Mitsubishi,
Kawasaki and
Subaru Corporation. These companies initially followed a business model based on forming
strategic partnerships with foreign, usually American, companies with the
licensed production of those companies products, whilst building up their own ability to design and manufacture helicopters through a process of workshare and technology transfer. Though initially loose these partnerships settled down to the pairing of Mitsubishi with Sikorsky, Kawasaki with Boeing, and Subaru with Bell. With the experience they have built up as licensees and sub-contractors the Japanese companies are beginning to produce and offer their own products.
Russia A 2006 re-organisation of the helicopter industry in Russia created
Oboronprom (
Russian Helicopters) a holding company to bring together
Mil and manufacturing plants. In the Soviet-
planned economic system, the Mil and
Kamov OKBs were responsible only for the design of helicopters. After a winning design had been chosen it was assigned to large manufacturing complexes responsible only for production. For example, both the
Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant and the
Kazan Helicopter Plant were responsible for the production of helicopters derived from the Mil Mi-8 family. The products of these factories were then exported through state export corporations, the predecessors of the present
Rosoboronexport. With the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the helicopter industry in Russia became fragmented. For example, PZL, in the former
Soviet satellite state of Poland, was tasked with the production of light helicopters. As a result, there was no production of light helicopters in Russia and the Mil Mi-8 family of helicopters was used for tasks which in the West would have been carried out by much smaller
OH-58 Kiowa-sized helicopters. Although light helicopter designs had been produced by Mil and Kamov, there was no longer a system by which the manufacturing complexes could be forced to retool to produce these designs. There was also a damaging conflict of interest between the manufacturing complexes and
Rosoboronexport, with both
Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant and
Kazan Helicopter Plant competing to undercut official
Rosoboronexport prices, by exporting helicopters destined for military users as civilian in purpose.
Kamov,
Mil and
Rostvertol eventually merged to form
Russian Helicopters in 2007.
United States In the United States, the large remaining companies are
Boeing (
Boeing Defense, Space & Security:
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems),
Textron (
Bell Helicopter),
Lockheed Martin (
Sikorsky Aircraft),
MD Helicopters,
Robinson Helicopter Company,
Kaman Aircraft,
Schweizer RSG and
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation. ==See also==