Tag: H135

Airbus and PHI Group sign for 20 H175 & 8 H160 helicopters

September 12, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Marignane, France, September 12, 2023 – Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) and PHI Group Inc (PHI) have signed a framework agreement that includes commitments for 20 super-medium H175 helicopters and 8 H160s to serve the energy market worldwide, including in the US. These 28 state-of-the-art helicopters will better position PHI to respond to the energy market’s expected growing offshore transportation needs. These commitments are composed of firm orders as well as purchase options that PHI may exercise during the course of the framework agreement.

PHI has been supporting the energy industry for 74 years. Today, PHI operates over 200 helicopters across the globe serving a number of markets, including energy and air medical. PHI’s Airbus fleet consists of H125, H135, H145, H160 and H175 family helicopters – with the H175 being the latest addition.

In service since 2015, Airbus’ H175 belongs to the super-medium class of helicopters, combining long-range with smooth flight qualities, making it the perfect solution for several mission profiles, including offshore crew change, public services, and private and business aviation. 54 H175s currently in service have accumulated around 195,000 flight hours, of which 170,000 are flying for the energy sector.

Designed as a multi-role helicopter capable of performing a wide range of missions, the H160 integrates Airbus’ latest technological innovations. With its light maintenance plan, the H160 optimises operating costs and offers a new standard in availability. The helicopter is powered by two of the latest Arrano engines from SafranHelicopter Engines that offer a 15% reduction in fuel burn. Both the H175 and H160 are already certified to fly with as much as 50% sustainable aviation fuel.

No mountain high enough for Austrian lifesavers after 40 years of operations

July 10, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

In July 1983, the OAMTC air rescue service started operations in Innsbruck with an AS355. Since then, the HEMS operator has expanded its service throughout the whole country, offering its life-saving services to the Austrian population from the mountainous regions in the west to the plains in the east near the borders with Slovakia and Hungary.

Today, OAMTC Air Rescue operates more than 22 HEMS bases throughout Austria, all named Christophorus after St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. Of these, 17 are in operation all year round, while four are in seasonal operation, mainly during winter, to provide HEMS services to the country’s more than 400 ski resorts. Since 1999, OAMTC air rescue has also been operating an H135 as an intensive care helicopter, which enables inter-hospital transfers of intensive care patients to the highest standards.

Relying on the H135 family since 1997
As one of the world’s first operators of the H135 family, OAMTC has relied on the helicopter as the backbone of its missions since 1997. Since then, more than 212,000 flight hours have been logged, including 1 million take-offs and landings, and more than 400,000 missions have been flown. One of the pilots who’s contributed nearly 3,000 flight hours to these impressive figures is Robert Gallmayer, who also happens to be the head of the Christophorus 9 base in the Austrian capital of Vienna. He praises the H135 for its reliability, safety and ergonomics. He also notes that Helionix, the Airbus avionics suite that’s on board the latest version of the H135, plays a big role in ensuring mission success.

There is every indication that this joint success story will continue: In 2020, OAMTC air rescue again demonstrated its confidence in the H135 with an order for five more of these helicopters, the first four of which have already been delivered to the Austrian HEMS organization.

Spanish Ministry of Defense Signs Deal for 36 Airbus H135 Helicopters

December 27, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Marignane, France – The Spanish Ministries of Defense and Interior have ordered 36 Airbus (OTC: EADSY) H135 helicopters. This signature takes place in the context of the stimulus plan activated by the Spanish government to support the industry. The Ministry of Defence will receive 18 helicopters to be operated by the air force and the navy while the Ministry of Interior will also take delivery of 18 helicopters to be operated by the National Police and the Guardia Civil. The deliveries will start next year.

The Spanish Army already operates a fleet of 16 H135 helicopters. With this acquisition, these will be the Spanish Air Force’s first H135’s and the Spanish Navy’s first Airbus Helicopters product. As was the case for the H135’s acquired some time ago by the army, the new aircraft for the air force and navy will replace older helicopter models currently used for advanced pilot training. The standardisation of training fleets across the three armed forces will create synergies and lead to the implementation of new and more efficient training and support activities.

The Ministry of Interior currently has a fleet of 31 helicopters from the H135 family in operation with the National Police, the Guardia Civil, and Tráfico. The new helicopters will enable the Policía and Guardia Civil to replace the BO105 helicopters in a wide range of missions including law enforcement, surveillance, and rescue activities.

Bavaria Orders 8 Five-Bladed Airbus H145 Helicopters for Police Force

December 16, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Donauwörth, Germany December 2021 – The Ministry of Interior of Bavaria has ordered eight five-bladed Airbus (OTC: EADSY) H145 helicopter’s for its police force, following a European tender launched earlier this year. The aircraft will replace the state’s current H135 fleet and will be operated by the two bases of the Bavarian helicopters squadron at the airport in Munich and in Roth, close to Nuremberg. The first delivery is planned for 2023.

The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta. This latest upgrade adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design will also ease 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 1,500 H145 family helicopters in service, logging a total of more than six 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.

SAF Orders Three H145 Airbus Helicopters for EMS Missions in France

June 19, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Marignane,France 16 June 2021 – SAF Group will be operating three more five-bladed Airbus H145 helicopter’s for emergency medical services (EMS). These three aircraft will be based in Grenoble, Valence, and Montpellier. They will complement the three H145s already ordered by SAF in 2018 and 2020, the first of which was delivered recently and will be deployed for EMS missions in Belgium.

SAF is a key actor of EMS in France and Europe. This French company already operates 55 Airbus helicopters. SAF’s fleet includes a Super Puma, H135s and H125s. The H145 will bring increased capabilities for the EMS missions.

The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta in March. This latest upgrade adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design will also ease maintenance operations, further improving the benchmark serviceability and reliability of the H145, while improving ride comfort for both passengers and crew. The helicopter’s high-mounted tail boom and wide opening clam-shell doors facilitate access to the H145’s spacious cabin.

Today, Airbus has more than 1,470 H145 Family helicopters in service around the world, logging a total of more than six million flight hours. For EMS alone, there are more than 470 helicopters of the H145 family conducting air rescue missions worldwide.

Shell Selects H160 for Operation by PHI in Gulf of Mexico

February 19, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Marignane, France, 15, February, 2021 – International energy group Shell has selected leading US offshore helicopter operator PHI to operate four Airbus H160’s to service a support contract in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract marks the entry into the oil and gas market of the H160 with a wealth of design features promising new levels of safety, comfort and schedule reliability in offshore operations.

The three companies – Airbus, PHI and Shell – are cooperating in a unique partnership. In a pioneering move, Airbus will provide one H160 ahead of final deliveries to PHI and Shell for a year-long route-proving programme to enable the operator and the final customer to familiarize themselves with the type’s advanced features and mitigate the normal challenges around entry into service.

At PHI it will be based at Houma, Louisiana and join a large company fleet of H125’s and H135’s deployed in emergency medical service throughout the United States, as well as two H145’s operating for Shell on pipeline survey work in Louisiana, and two H145’s flying the world’s longest harbour pilot shuttle in Mackay, Australia.

With 68 patents, the H160 is the world’s most technologically advanced helicopter and features an unprecedented suite of pilot aids delivered through its Helionix avionics which substantially reduces crew workload and decreases the risk of pilot error.

They include the world’s first ground helipad assisted take-off procedure, a vortex ring state pre-alerting system and a recovery mode to automatically regain steady flight in difficult circumstances.

The H160 is powered by two of the latest Arrano engines from Safran Helicopter Engines and incorporates an embedded monitoring system and a redundancy of sensors, and can be maintained autonomously far from base. The design emphasises robust corrosion defence specifically envisaging offshore missions.

Garmin Honored with Consecutive On-Time Delivery Awards from Airbus Helicopters

January 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), today announced it has received a 2020 On-Time Delivery Award from Airbus Helicopters, Inc. for its efficient performance related to product delivery. Garmin avionics are available as standard on select Airbus Helicopters, including the H125, H130, H135 and H145.

Each year, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. recognizes suppliers who stand out in performance, competitiveness and reliability. This is the second year in a row Garmin has won the On-Time Delivery Award for commitment and timeliness in delivering avionics to fulfill Airbus Helicopters Inc. production lines and customer orders.

“We are once again very proud to be recognized by Airbus with this prestigious award for our commitment to serve them and our mutual customers with the on-time delivery of our products,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president aviation sales and marketing. “To again receive this award is truly humbling and ultimately would not be possible without the dedication of our entire Garmin team, in addition to the gratifying strategic relationship with Airbus Helicopters.”

Garmin avionics are available as standard on the Airbus H125, including the G500H TXi flight display,
GTN^™ 650 touchscreen navigator, GNC 255 nav/comm, GMA^™ 350c audio panel and the GTX^™ 335R remote-mount ADS-B Out transponder. The GTN 750, GNC 255 and GTX 335R are also available as standard on the H130, while the H135/H145 feature the GTN 750 and Flight Stream 510 as standard equipment.

This marks the third consecutive year Garmin has received an award from Airbus Helicopters, Inc. In 2018, Garmin was also recognized by Airbus Helicopters, Inc. as the Supplier of Excellence for its unmatched responsiveness and competitiveness in its support of the UH-72A Lakota helicopter program, and for its overall support at the Airbus Helicopters Inc. final assembly and completion center in Columbus, Miss.

Norwegian Air Ambulance Receives First 5-Blade Airbus H145 Helicopter

October 1, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first five-bladed H145 to the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. This new version of its best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter brings a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission helicopter, increasing the useful load by 150 kg while delivering new levels of comfort, simplicity, and connectivity. It received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in June and is now ready to take on a wide variety of missions.

The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, founded by Norwegian doctor Jens Moe in 1978, is the mother company and owner of the Norwegian Air Ambulance. It brought HEMS to Norway by opening a first base near Oslo, using a BO105 helicopter rented from Germany. Today, Norwegian Air Ambulance operates all 13 HEMS bases in Norway and all 4 bases in Denmark using a 100% Helionix-equipped fleet of H135s and H145s. This helicopter is dedicated to support the Foundations important work to improve the HEMS operations.

The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta with launch customers announced for all civil and parapublic mission segments.

Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration is under review and expected soon. The certification for the military version of the five-bladed H145 will be granted in 2021. The H145 is developed jointly with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The first delivery by the Japanese cooperation partner is scheduled for early next year.

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.

Airbus Helicopters sees strong sales increase in 2018

January 23, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Gross orders up 18 percent to 413 units
First orders for the next-generation H160
Increasing share of the military market

Marignane, 23 January 2019 – Airbus Helicopters delivered 356 rotorcraft and logged gross orders for 413 helicopters (net: 381) in 2018 (up from 350 gross orders in 2017), maintaining its lead in the civil & parapublic market while reinforcing its position in the military market thanks to key successes with international campaigns. The company also booked 148 orders for light twin-engine helicopters of the H135/H145 family and secured 15 orders for the next-generation H160. At the end of last year, the overall backlog increased to 717 helicopters.

“Our commercial performance in 2018 demonstrates the resilience we have developed as a company to help us navigate what remains a challenging environment,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “Even though the civil & parapublic market remains at a low level worldwide, we have managed to maintain our global leadership thanks to our wide and modern portfolio of products and services and our international footprint. Meanwhile, we have increased our market share in the military sector by securing major contracts with leading armed forces worldwide, with best-in-class solutions. These positive trends give us the means to prepare the future and continue our transformation, with innovation at our core and customer loyalty at heart.”

In 2018, Airbus Helicopters delivered the first of 100 H135s for China in Qingdao, where a dedicated final assembly line will serve the growing demand of the Chinese market for civil & parapublic helicopters. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Government Flying Service took delivery of the first H175s in public services configuration.

Last year also proved successful for the Super Puma family which demonstrated its versatility by being selected in key military campaigns, while attracting new civil & parapublic customers with repurposed H225s previously operated on the oil & gas market. Likewise, 2018 proved to be a very positive year for the NH90, which attracted orders for 28 units in Qatar while being selected by Spain in the frame of a follow-on order for 23 units.

Key programme milestones were achieved in 2018, including the power-on and ground testing of the CityAirbus electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology demonstrator, ahead of a maiden flight expected early 2019. The first H160 in serial configuration entered flight trials in 2018, while the VSR700 unmanned aerial system demonstrator performed its first unmanned flights at the end of the year.

Footnote:
The Full-Year 2018 net orders and backlog represent the contractual view. The Full-Year 2018 backlog value will be measured under IFRS 15 and will reflect the recoverable amount of revenues under these contracts. The FY 2017 backlog will not be restated.

Story and image from http://www.airbus.com

Archives