Kawasaki delivers first two EC145s to Japanese National Police

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has delivered two EC145 helicopters to the National Police Agency in its native Japan. These will be the first EC145s to be used by the National Police Agency, and are replacements of existing helicopters deployed by the police in the provinces of Kanagawa and Chiba.

The EC145 is a modification of the BK117 which Kawasaki started to develop with MBB before the German manufacturer became part of Eurocopter. The model with a standard tail rotor is certified as the BK117C2, and the fenestron H145 (ex EC145T2) is the BK117D2.

The cabin frame on every helicopter in the 117/145 family is made in Japan by Kawasaki, with the vast majority then shipped to Germany for the main production line. German production to date has seen 253 117 A and B models, 55 C-1, 750 C-2 (EC145) and 80 D-2 (H145/EC145T2) helicopters.

By comparison, the Kawasaki factory in Japan has built 135 A, B and C-1 airframes and 39 of the newer C-2 (EC145) models to date.