$2B Army Contract Seeds New Plans in Two States

DALLAS-American Eurocopter will move in next week to 81,620 sf in the AirFreight & LogisticsCentre, a 35-acre park on ground-leased land at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The 15-year deal is the outcome of a $2-billion contract with the US Army.

American Eurocopter plans to retain its 52-acre headquarters and main facility at 2701 Forum Dr. in Grand Prairie. The inbound tenant is the American subsidiary of the world’s largest helicopter manufacturer and EADS North America, the world’s second-largest aerospace and defense company. And, the new Army contract is underwriting the expansion, both in Texas and Columbus, MS, where the manufacturer has a 40-acre production facility.

American Eurocopter announced Aug. 29 that it received authorization to produce two more rotary-wing helicopters for military and civilian use. The EC145 model is becoming the aircraft of choice for medical airlift, law enforcement and corporate users while the UH-72A Lakota is the US Army’s new light-utility helicopter. The first Lakota delivered at the Columbus facility in late August.