Ponte de Sor, Portalegre, Portugal, July 2, 2025 (Lusa) - A company that produces state-of-the-art civil and military aeronautical helmets on Wednesday opened a factory in Ponte de Sor, in the district of Portalegre, in central Portugal, an investment of around €3.3 million, with EU support.
The executive director of LD Helmet, Richard Françoise, revealed that the company has invested "around €2 million" in this factory at the Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome, in machinery, furniture and various other components.
Another source from the company explained to the Lusa news agency that the factory is housed in a new hangar at the aerodrome built by the Ponte de Sor local council with EU funding, at a cost of around €1.3 million.
At the official opening ceremony of the plant, held today at the municipal aerodrome, the executive director of LD Helmet indicated that the factory is already operating and has a lot of orders, producing "between five and 10 helmets" daily for the aeronautical sector.
"We are “flying” in around 25 countries worldwide", namely with helmets for civilians, "in the area of medical evacuation, because we have won the largest market for medical evacuation, which is Germany", he emphasised.
LD Helmet also equips the French navy and army, the United States police, the German police and the coast guards of Taiwan and Japan, among ‘many’ other police and military branches "around the world" from Ponte de Sor: "We can be proud of this fact because we have expanded everywhere".
And, according to Richard Françoise, "the story is not over" for LD Helmet, as it is waiting to receive "more orders" to expand the business.
"This year we will be the second largest manufacturer in the world in terms of the number of helmets on the open market," i.e. excluding "the Chinese and Russians," who are "in a closed market, where Russia sells to China and China sells to Russia."
In addition to producing helmets, the company also manufactures components for them, such as visors and accessories. It has been operating for over a year at the Alentejo aerodrome, after a period of adaptation and obtaining aeronautical licences and certifications, as well as recruiting and training the technical team.
The unit currently employs 18 professionals, with growth forecast to reach more than 25 employees by the end of 2026.
In the short term, the company plans to make an additional investment of €500,000 in the site, aimed at acquiring more equipment, hiring new employees and providing specialised training.
On the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony, the mayor of Ponte de Sor, Hugo Hilário, revealed to journalists that the municipal aerodrome will host two more investments, one in the area of handling for civil aviation and another in the area of large aircraft maintenance and training of maintenance technicians.
"The commitment has been made, but it has yet to be formalised and, without formalisation, I do not want to say anything more about it. We will soon reveal all the details regarding job creation and investment," he added.
The Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome currently has 15 companies in the aeronautical sector already based there, which have created around 600 jobs.
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Lusa
