LH Aviation

LH Aviation was a French aircraft manufacturing company, founded in 2004 and located in Melun-Villaroche. LH Aviation developed the LH-10 Ellipse.[1][citation needed]

History

The company was founded in 2004 by Sébastien Lefebvre as a manufacturer of ultralight single and two-seater carbon fibre aircraft.[2] A prototype of the first airplane was created that year by Frédéric Hubschwerlenson and Lefebvre.[3]

Their plane, the LH-10, has multiple versions including automated and training planes.[1] The LH-10 was shown at the 2009 Le Bourget Paris Air Show.[4]

In 2015 the company had about 50 employees in Villaroche, France,[5] including one dedicated pilot.[6]

Over the years the company raised capital from investors in different countries,[3] including Mohsine Karim-Bennani from Morocco, who wanted to create a Moroccan subsidiary and a manufacturing plant in Casablanca. However the two sides ended up in court and the collaboration was cancelled.[2]

Lefebvre left the company in July 2016.[2]

After several years of insolvency, the company was placed in recovery in 2018, and judicial liquidation began in September 2019.[7][8] The assets were bought by I-SEE Group, who commercialized the LH-10 and the LH-D as IC-10 and IC-D, respectively.[9][10]

Key dates

  • May 2004: LH Aviation founded.[11]
  • September 2007: First flight of the LH-10 prototype at the Avia International Airshow.[11]
  • March 2008: Joined the Aerospace Cluster Activity at Melun-Villaroche.
  • 2007: Exposure of the LH-10 prototype on the Champs Elysees during the Festival of Transport..
  • July 2008: Attendance at Farnborough Airshow.[12]
  • June 2010: Financial and operational backing from Aeronautic Investment Fund Magellan Industries.
  • June 2009, 2011, 2013: Participation in the 49th, 50th and 51st Paris Air Shows.
  • October 2011: First formation: Saget Promotion Official delivery of the first two surveillance airplanes by the Air Force Benin.
  • August 2012: First flight of the LH-10 Ellipse Surveillance Advanced version.
  • 2012: Participation in Euronaval and Eurosatory.
  • 2012: Recruitment of military competence internally, participation in the Paris Air Show.
  • May 2013: First rocket launch performed from the LH-10 Ellipse.
  • April 2014: Set up of the Moroccan subsidiary.[13]
  • December 2014: Use of the LH-10 by the French border police.
  • January 2015: Creation of the Explorair 45.
  • February 2015: Creation of the outsourcing department.
  • 21 October 2018: Judicial liquidation [14]

Products

LH-10 Ellipse at Le Bourget - 2009

LH-10 Ellipse

The LH-10 Ellipse is for training and pilot training; it has a tandem configuration and a glass cockpit.

LH-10 Guardian

The LH-10 Guardian is intended for surveillance missions.

LH-10 Elfe

The LH-10 Elfe is a military aircraft with an airborne collision avoidance system.

LH-D

The LH-D is an unmanned aerial vehicle made from carbon fibre. It has an OPV option.

References

  1. ^ a b "LH-10 Ellipse". LH Aviation. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  2. ^ a b c "Après de multiples déboires, LH Aviation entre en redressement judiciaire". Capital Finance (in French). 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  3. ^ a b Gay, Marcel (2018-07-30). "L'avion LH-10 n'a jamais volé... sauf ses clients". Capital.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  4. ^ Air-Britain. "Aviation photographs of Airshow: Le Bourget - Paris Air Show - 2009 :". abpic.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  5. ^ "L'incroyable success story de LH Aviation à Villaroche". leparisien.fr (in French). 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  6. ^ "LH Aviation France". LH Aviation. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  7. ^ "LH AVIATION". societe.com.
  8. ^ "Enquête exclusive: Dessous de turbulences chez LH Aviation  France". confidentielafrique.com.
  9. ^ "L'entreprise". i-seegroup.com.
  10. ^ "Mozambique seeking attack drones for Cabo Delgado". africaintelligence.com.
  11. ^ a b "LH Aviation France". LH Aviation. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  12. ^ "Show Reports". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  13. ^ "LH Aviation Maroc (Morocco)". LH Aviation. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  14. ^ "Liquidation judiciaire Lh Aviation à Limoges-Fourches (453705717) - ProcedureCollective.fr".