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French Navy Exercises Option for Two Additional Airbus H160 Helicopters

May 23, 2021 /

The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) has confirmed an option to Airbus Helicopters, Babcock and Safran Helicopter Engines for two more H160s for the French Navy. These aircraft will join the fleet of four H160s already contracted in 2020, the first of which is currently being assembled by Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, in the south of France. The six H160s will be delivered in a Search and Rescue (SAR) configuration and will gradually start operating from May 2022 from Lanveoc-Poulmic naval air station (Britany), Cherbourg airport (Normandy) and Hyères naval air station (Provence). Awaiting the H160M “Guépard” deliveries in the frame of the French Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger: HIL) programme, these H160s will take over the SAR missions  currently conducted by the NH90s and Panthers , allowing these combat helicopters to fulfill their main tasks at sea on board combat vessels.

The French Navy’s operational feedback with these H160s will benefit the design of the military version of the aircraft and its associated support system.

The H160s were ordered by Babcock in 2018 and will be maintained and equipped in partnership with Airbus Helicopters, and Safran Helicopters Engines ensuring the highest level of availability for the French Navy and the continuity of SAR operations on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coasts. Built by Airbus Helicopters, the six H160s will be equipped with a winch and a modular cabin that can be optimized for each mission. The H160s will be certified for use of night vision goggles which are necessary for winching operations at night.

The six H160s will be modified into a light military configuration by Babcock, a provider of critical, complex engineering services to governments, to answer to the needs of the French Navy. Babcock will integrate the Safran Electronics & Defense new generation electro-optical system, Euroflir 410.

The H160, as a next generation medium twin engine aircraft, powered by Arrano engines, is modular by design in order to address missions ranging from offshore transportation, private and business aviation, emergency medical services, and public services.

Alstom’s New-Generation Citadis Tram for Caen la Mer

July 29, 2019 /

Alstom has commissioned its new-generation Citadis X05 tram on the three new lines of Caen la Mer. Presided over by Joël Bruneau, President of the Urban Community of Caen la Mer, and Rodolphe Thomas, First Vice-President of Caen la Mer, in charge of transport, travel and infrastructure, the inauguration took place in the presence of Jean-Léonce Dupont, President of Calvados region, Hervé Morin, President of Normandy region, Agnès Monfret, EU delegate, Stéphane Guyon, general Secretary of Calvados Prefecture and Emmanuel Bois, Sales Director for Alstom in France.

“Just one year after the first tram was presented at the La Rochelle site, it is with great pride that Alstom and its teams take part in this inauguration. Thanks to their reliability, availability and ease of maintenance, we have total confidence in the ability of the 26 Citadis trams to meet the growing mobility requirements of the inhabitants of the Urban Community of Caen la Mer,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, Senior Vice President France at Alstom.

33 metres long and featuring 6 double doors on each side, the Citadis X05 for Caen la Mer can carry more than 210 passengers. It has 6 extra-wide passenger information screens, large windows covering 45% of the vehicle and will offer USB charging sockets, a first in France. In addition, the Citadis X05 for the Urban Community of Caen la Mer can climb slopes with gradients of up to 8% and has standardised, proven and more accessible components. Last but not least, the tram demonstrates a particularly high level of performance in terms of environmental sustainability, thanks in particular to its 100% LED lighting and optimised air conditioning. It is particularly energy efficient and 95% recyclable.

Eight of Alstom’s 13 sites in France designed and manufactured the Citadis trams for the Urban Community of Caen la Mer: La Rochelle (design, assembly, validation, commercial entry into service and warranty), Ornans (engines), Le Creusot (bogies), Tarbes (traction modules), Valenciennes (interior layout), Villeurbanne (on-board computerised systems), Aix en Provence (tachymetry, for measuring travel speed) and Saint-Ouen (design).In total, more than 2,600 Citadis trams have been sold to more than 50 cities in 20 countries.

American Airlines Brings D-Day Veterans to France

June 4, 2019 /

World’s largest airline honors Greatest Generation 75 years after beach landings

FORT WORTH, Texas — Eight veterans of the D-Day invasion, which marked a major turning point in World War II, arrived in France on Monday and Tuesday aboard American Airlines flights from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA).

The airline hosted many of them and their guests at a luncheon Sunday at the CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The event included a Color Guard flag presentation and a national anthem performance. After lunch, these esteemed members of the Greatest Generation traveled to Paris (CDG), where they were greeted with cheers, waving flags and a water cannon salute.

“These veterans fought so bravely to give us the freedom to fly that we have today,” said Philippe Serafino, General Manager at CDG for American Airlines. “Our team members in Paris are always looking for ways — big and small — to express their infinite gratitude to the individuals who fought to liberate France and serve the Allied cause during the war.”

In Paris, the group, which includes two veterans who haven’t been back to Normandy since the days following June 6, 1944, will join their fellow soldiers, sailors and airmen to observe reenactments of the invasion and participate in ceremonies commemorating their bravery and service to the nation and the world.

“I feel this will be closure for me because I had turned down going a long time ago,” said Jack Gutman, a U.S. Navy corpsman first class on D-Day. “Having my son with me to experience what I went through and for him to see it in a different light and understand what I went through is so important to me.”

“I’m overwhelmed and speechless,” added Carl Felton, a U.S. Navy petty officer first class on D-Day. “I couldn’t be more excited and more humbled with all of the praise that has been heaped upon us.”

The flights and luncheon are part of a larger initiative American is supporting alongside Let Freedom Ring, a nonprofit organization founded by D-Day veteran George Ciampa, who is on the trip. Four American team members are also volunteering their personal time to accompany the D-Day veterans in support of that organization.

“After serving 27 years and multiple deployments, I have a small sense of sacrifice these World War II veterans gave to this country,” said ORD-based First Officer John Gorse, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force who is on the trip. “Their service truly saved the world from the darkest of days. I’m sure the feeling they felt on that day 75 years ago will come rushing back and there is no way to describe that terror. They survived so we could survive as a nation.”

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