TenCate Advanced Composites and Marenco Swisshelicopter announce supply agreement for SKYe SH09 helicopter

This press release was issued as TenCate Advanced Composites, prior to our acquisition by Toray Industries and name change to Toray Advanced Composites in 2019.

TenCate Advanced Composites, a leading supplier of advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications, has been selected by Marenco Swisshelicopter in Mollis, Switserland, as the main supplier of composite materials for the SKYe SH09 next generation, multi-purpose lightweight single-engine helicopter. Marenco Swisshelicopter already holds over 60 orders respectively options on this aircraft. No further financial details will be provided.

TenCate Advanced Composites EMEA will supply its TC250 epoxy resin system. Marenco Swisshelicopter has selected this advanced composite solution of TenCate because of its toughness and ability to be used in out of autoclave fabrication conditions.

Frank Meurs, Group Director of TenCate Advanced Composites EMEA, states: “We are very pleased to have been chosen by Marenco Swisshelicopter for the supply of our system based materials for this new and important project. This complements our global growth strategy in thermoset materials, not only from our facilities in the United States of America, but also from our facility in Langley Mill, United Kingdom.”

Next generation helicopter aviation

The SKYe SH09 is a single engine helicopter with outstanding ‘hot and high’ performance. It made its first flight in October 2014. The SKYe SH09 features a full composite airframe as well as all-composite main and tail rotor blades; it is equipped with glass cockpit, avionics systems and the Honeywell HTS-900-2 turbine engine. The SKYe SH09 is scheduled to go into production within the next 12 to 16 months.

Martin Stucki, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Marenco Swisshelicopter, states: “We are very pleased to have TenCate as a global partner at our side, which brings the same innovation spirit combined with the expertise of many other markets to finish the industrialisation of our next generation aircraft”.