EADS Socata at Asian Aerospace 2004

EADS Socata showcases at the Asian Aerospace airshow, held at Changi airport from February 24-29 its entire range of aircraft from the high speed turboprop TBM 700 to the TB GT piston trainers as the General Aviation branch of EADS foresees strong sales potential for business and utility aircraft on Asia Pacific market.
Around 290 Socata aircraft are currently flying in Asia Pacific area. To strengthen its sales and support network in the region, EADS Socata decided last spring to open a bureau in Sydney in partnership with Australian Aerospace. Since it has resulted in the sale of 7 aircraft:

A good start for the EADS Socata Australian office opened in Sydney in partnership with EADS Australian Aerospace Pty Ltd, EADS subsidiary in Sydney, Australia. The EADS Socata Australian Sales & Marketing office run by Didier Raynard is responsible for Australia, New Zealand and Papua-New Guinea while Australian Aerospace is in charge of the customer support in the area.

The pressurized Socata TBM 700 is the fastest civilian single turboprop aircraft on the market. It offers greater operational flexibility at a much lower cost than the twin turboprop. Excellent low-speed performance allows the aircraft to be utilized on short runways, while the high cruise speed – 300 KTAS – means very efficient travel. The TBM 700, as with the entire Socata product line, is designed for very low maintenance requirements.

The cargo version of the TBM is designed for operators requiring a fast, reliable and economical way of transporting high-value and perishable cargo on short distances. TBM 700 Freighter offers a cabin freight volume of 123 cu. ft (3.5 cu. Meters). The Freighter is equipped with the optional pilot access door on the aircraft’s forward left side, allowing the cabin to be fully loaded using the TBM 700’s large standard rear door. On a typical mission profile, the TBM 700B can carry a 1,000 lbs. (454 kg) payload on 500 Nm, in 1h45 (no wind, ISA conditions).

The TBM can be equipped with mobile medical surgery equipment.

Flying at a speed close to jet airliners the TBM can efficiently perform recurrent training for airline pilots or advanced training procedures, high speed entry, in real flying conditions but at simulator costs.

4 TBM 700 with special equipment are used in this role by Indonesia ministry of Transportation.

Thanks to its sturdiness, its ease of operations and its performance the TBM 700 is ideally suited for military missions from liaison duties to border watch. French Armed forces (both Air Force and Army Aviation) operate a fleet of 28 TBM 700.

261 TBM 700s are flying today throughout the world.

EADS Sonata is one of the most active General Aviation manufacturers in the area with a fleet of 297 aircraft in service by January 2004.

EADS Socata aircraft main customers in Asia Pacific are flight training organizations such as the British Aerospace flying college (Australia), China’s Civil Aviation Flying College, IGRUA (India), EAT Curug (Indonesia), Singapore Flying Club and CATC (Thailand).

EADS Socata is Europe’s leading general aviation manufacturer. Current production aircraft are the TB GT series of high performance piston powered 4/5 seat aircraft to the propjet TBM 700 six seat business aircraft. Today, there are more than 5,900 Socata aircraft flying in 65 countries, continuing the tradition of quality-built light aircraft initiated by Morane-Saulnier in 1911.
In addition to manufacturing a complete line of light aircraft for the general aviation marketplace, EADS Socata routinely teams with other manufacturers on major aircraft programs such as Airbus A380, military cargo A400M, Dassault Falcon 7X, Embraer ERJ 170/190 and Eurocopter helicopters. EADS Socata leverages its expertise as an aircraft manufacturer in three main fields of excellence: composite aerostructures, metal/composite bonding and large sheet metal forming.

EADS Socata’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located on Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport in the Toulouse area.

EADS is a 100% subsidiary of EADS, the second largest aerospace and Defense Company in the world with revenues of € 29.9 billion in the year 2002 and a workforce of more than 100,000. It is a systems integrator and as such EADS is one of the few companies worldwide capable of combining various products and technologies to form complete systems and offering the associated services. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. EADS has more than 70 sites in France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain and is active in many regions worldwide, amongst them America, Russia and Asia.

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