Airbus (Toulouse, Occitania, France) has delivered the first two of eight five-bladed H145s to the Bavarian Police. These first two helicopters will be used in the training of pilots and crews which will begin shortly, ensuring a smooth transition from the current H135 fleet which has been in service for more than twelve years, to the larger H145 helicopters. Delivery of the first fully equipped police helicopter is scheduled for the middle of next year.
“Our police forces have to deal with a wide range of scenarios: searching for missing persons, transporting special units, fighting forest fires or dealing with natural disasters. The H145, with its outstanding performance and mission capabilities, will provide our police forces with an essential tool to fulfill these diverse missions,” said Franz Muschick, Head of the Bavarian Police Helicopter Squadron.
The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission aircraft, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150kg. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design also eases maintenance operations, further improving the benchmark serviceability and reliability of the H145, while improving ride comfort for both passengers and crew.
In total, there are more than 1,600 H145 family helicopters in service, logging a total of more than seven million flight hours. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are the lowest amongst its competitors.
More than 200 H145 helicopters are in service around the world in public service and law enforcement missions.
See also Helicopters blog
