Airbus Racer high-speed helicopter demonstrator, developed in the frame of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project, has reached its fast cruise speed target of 407 km/h (220 kts). On 21 June, less than two months after its first flight, the Racer demonstrator exceeded its level speed objective of 407 km/h (220 kts) by reaching 420 km/h (227 kts) in its initial configuration. In just se...
At Farnborough 2024 Bell Textron announced the delivery of the 500th Bell 429 aircraft. The aircraft was delivered to Latin-America based operator, Mendes Group, and will be used for corporate transportation in Brazil. Bell 429 is one of the most advanced light twin helicopters in its class. It delivers exceptional speed, range and hover performance, and offers operators a state-of-the-a...
EnB AIR Co. has signed an agreement for the purchase of a Bell 505 helicopter in South Korea. This marks the first Bell 505 helicopter sale to a commercial entity in South Korea, following the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration selecting the Bell 505 as the new military helicopter trainer in 2022. Established in 2020, EnB AIR provides helicopte...
Pratt & Whitney Canada and Collins Aerospace have been selected by Airbus Helicopters to support the development of a hybrid-electric propulsion system for its PioneerLab technology demonstrator. Based on a twin-engine H145 helicopter, PioneerLab aims to demonstrate the potential of hybrid-electric propulsion as well as aerodynamic improvements to enable up to 30% improved fuel effic...
Savback Helicopters announced that Konner K1-S19 was the inaugural helicopter to land at the at the all-new helipad at the Koenigsegg supercar factory in Ängelholm, Sweden. The arrival marking a double celebration as the occasion also saw the setting of a new world speed record by the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut - achieving 0-400-0km/h in an astounding 27.83 seconds. Reja Savbäck, Chief...
Memorial Hermann Life Flight placed orders for one H160 and four H145s to replace its current fleet of EC145 helicopters. The nationally recognised emergency medical services program will be the first in the world to operate the H160 for helicopter emergency medical services. Memorial Hermann Life Flight, a service provided by Memorial Hermann Health System, was founded in 1976 by trauma surgeon J...
Luxury Group by Marriott International announces a curated slate of exclusive experiences in collaboration with urban air mobility platform Blade Urban Air Mobility. Through this immersive collaboration, the Luxury Group will engage guests with the opportunity to fly directly to and from the airport to their hotel destinations using Blade's helicopter service, elevati...
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...
