Airbus Helicopters officially opened its new logistics hub at Albacete, Spain, which is equipped and operated by Daher as the lead logistics partner. Located adjacent to the Airbus Helicopters production facility at Albacete, this 50,000 square meter warehouse will optimize operations and create several hundred new skilled jobs for the wider Castilla-La Mancha region. During the design of...
Airbus delivered the first H160 in the U.S. to PHI, marking the beginning of H160 operations in the country. This is the first of the initial four H160 helicopters that PHI will operate for offshore transportation in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to beginning commercial operations, the helicopter will be used in a route-proving programme designed to demonstrate the H160’s ca...
Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a major support-by-the-hour contract with Airbus Helicopters for the engines powering the German Bundeswehr's new fleet of Airbus H145M helicopters. This Support-By-the-Hour contract covers in-service support and MRO for more than 124 Arriel 2E engines, from helicopter entry into service to 2030. This contract is in addition to the SBH contracts already sig...
AW609 tiltrotor programme set another major industry capability milestone after its first successful ship trial, which was recently conducted with the support of the Italian Navy. From 3-12 April, the AW609 AC4 aircraft, fully representative of the final production configuration, performed demonstration trials relocating from Leonardo’s facility based in Cascina Costa to Maristaer Grottaglie...
Safran Helicopter Engines and MTU Aero Engines have signed the cooperation agreement to create the 50/50 joint venture EURA (derived from EUropean Military Rotorcraft Engine Alliance). This newly-created company will form the core of a larger program, which will collaborate with industrial and technological partners from several other European nations. With the creation of EURA, the two companies...
Bell Textron Canada announced successful first flight of one of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s modernized CH-146 Griffon helicopters, a variant of the Bell 412EP, under the Griffon Limited Life Extension project. Under GLLE, Bell will provide aircraft modifications to a series of the fleet’s aeronautical components, including its avionics systems, cockpit displays, engines, and se...
Airbus Helicopters has launched the flight test campaign for the prototype of the NH90 Standard 2. This standard is one of the latest NH90 configurations and is being developed specifically for the French Army Aviation, to support special forces operations. The French Ministry for Armed Forces has ordered a total of 18 NH90s in the Standard 2 configuration. Flight testing will continue u...
AW249 next generation exploration and escort helicopter had its international public premiere at Eurosatory during an official ceremony attended by representatives from industry, Italian Defence and international delegations. The result of the strong collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Defence and Leonardo, the AW249 (designated AH-249A NEES - Nuovo Elicottero da Esplorazione e Scor...
The Kingdom of Belgium will procure 15 multi-role H145M helicopters for the army and two helicopters plus three options for the Federal Police. The contract was signed between the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, on behalf of Belgium, and Airbus Helicopters.The H145M is a multi-role military helicopter that provides a broad range of mission capabilities. Within minutes, the heli...
The Bell 407GXi fleet under Nautilus Aviation, one of Australia’s premier helicopter operators with more than 25 years of flying experience, has now clocked 3,000 successful flight hours. In March 2022, Nautilus Aviation placed an order for five new Bell 407GXis to support tourism charter and utility flights in Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef region. Delivery was completed in...
HTM Helicopters has placed an order for one Airbus H145 helicopter, with options for two additional helicopters of the same type. The new helicopter will be used in offshore wind operations, transporting technicians and materials to wind farm turbines off the coasts of Germany and France. HTM was the first operator to take delivery of a five-bladed H145 to be used for offshore wind opera...
Airbus has received certification from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the twin-engine H160, heralding a new chapter for helicopter operations in Australia. The H160 has already been certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the US Federal Aviation Administration, Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, Transport Canada Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority of Ma...
