EASA Certified The Aircraft In The Spring Of This Year

The handover of the first EC145 T2 to DRF Luftrettung marks yet another milestone for Airbus Helicopters in the successful program for the BK117/EC145 family. In spring 2014, the latest addition to the family received certification from the EASA and is now ready to take on a wide variety of missions. More than 100 orders have already been placed for the new helicopter, which was developed and manufactured in Donauwörth.

Dr. Wolfgang Schoder, CEO of Airbus Helicopters in Germany, handed over this first EC145 to German air rescue company DRF Luftrettung, which has ordered 20 of these helicopters.

"The handover of the first EC145 T2 is a significant event for all of us at Airbus Helicopters and we are thrilled to be delivering this aircraft to one of our most loyal
customers—DRF Luftrettung. The EC145 T2 embodies our aim to offer our customers the best helicopters for their missions, with economical operating costs and tailored support and service packages," said Schoder.

"We’re proud today to be the first operator in the world to take delivery of an EC145 T2,"
explained Steffen Lutz, a member of the DRF Luftrettung Board of Directors. "We’re expecting this helicopter to enter service at our 24/7 air rescue station in Munich around the end of the year. We’ve been using night vision goggles there since 2009, when we became Germany’s first air rescue organization to do so, and the new EC145 T2 is ideal for nighttime rescue missions."

A German police air squadron and the German Armed Forces, plan to customize 15 of these helicopters for Special Forces operations. In addition, the EC145 T2 will be used to transport personnel to offshore platforms, and orders have also been received for the luxury corporate version designed for business travel. Some 20 helicopters will be delivered by the end of this year.

Among the new features are Turbomeca Arriel-2E engines with dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, along with upgraded main and new tail rotor gear boxes. The cockpit uses the Helionix digital avionics suite with 4-axis autopilot that was developed by Airbus Helicopters.

A full flight simulator will be available in 2016.

(Image provided by Airbus Helicopters)

FMI: www.airbushelicopters.com