LH Aviation
French aircraft manufacturing company
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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
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.