Forest fires, storms, and flooding are on the rise this year in many parts of the planet, and medical emergencies continue to be a part of daily life. Helicopters once again play a key role in many of the ensuing firefighting, rescue and disaster relief efforts.
In this unpredictable and multifaceted milieu, the need for versatile rescue solutions strikes home for many of us now more than ever. Therefore, it’s no surprise that public service agencies rely on helicopters that can seamlessly swap roles, moving from one mission to the other. Airbus products fit the bill, with the H125, H130, H145, H225, and now the H160, among others, being popular choices for multi-mission operators.
The aerial firefighter
Firefighting — traditionally considered to be just one of the many aerial roles of helicopters — is now becoming one of their most critical tasks, especially in the summer as wildfires become increasingly larger, faster, and more difficult to control.
Firefighting makes up the second-largest segment (after law enforcement) in the worldwide public services fleet today, with 15 percent of the approximately 4,960 public service units in service performing firefighting missions. Of this, approximately one-quarter of the world’s firefighting aircraft are Airbus helicopters — the major players being the multi-mission H125, H145, H215 and H225.
These helicopters can perform a large range of tasks to support firefighting missions: water bombing, surveillance and reconnaissance, personnel and equipment transport, and command and control. Thanks to their versatility, helicopters are the perfect complement to other air assets and a crucial element to firefighting operations.
The air medical asset
From the intermediate single-engine H125 and H130, to the twin-engine H135 and H145, Airbus Helicopters’ customers lead the way when it comes to saving lives.
The most recent addition is the five-bladed H145, which boasts a leg up when performing air medical missions thanks to the added useful load of 150 kilograms (330 pounds). This makes a huge difference when every second and every kilogram counts.
The helicopter recently entered service with the French Securité Civile where it has already been called upon to perform lifesaving emergency medical flights and search and rescue patrols during floods.
In Norway, the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation uses its new H145 for research, development and training to improve helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), testing new procedures and equipment with the goal of improving patient health and saving more lives.
The versatile H160 enters service
The H160 is making its way around the world, having entered service in Japan in August with Japanese launch customer All Nippon Helicopter, which is using the aircraft for news-gathering missions for Japanese broadcasters, and in July, with a private customer in Brazil.
The French Navy has received the first H160 configured for search-and-rescue at sea. Meanwhile, final assembly of the first H160 equipped for law enforcement for the French Gendarmerie Nationale has begun in Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Marignane, France.
The H160 has been designed to create added value in terms of performance, comfort, safety, perceived sound, and fuel consumption. But it is also highly versatile and can be adapted for a myriad of essential missions, such as emergency medical services, law enforcement, public services, oil and gas, and military.
Supporting first responders
Support and services are likewise crucial for these essential missions. That’s why customers, such as STARS air ambulance in Canada and Air Methods in the U.S., continue to count on HCare global support contracts to keep their fleets in the air and ready to respond when the call goes out.
In 2022, Airbus Helicopters revamped its HCare support offering to better align with customer needs. It now includes HCare Initial, HCare In-service and HCare Lifetime. With many customers operating legacy or out-of-production aircraft, such as the Dauphin, H120, Gazelle and Puma, the new offering also includes the recently launched HCare Classics support package specifically designed to meet these operators’ unique needs. French operator HeliDax recently signed up its fleet of 36 H120s, becoming the launch customer.
With regard to the H160, public services customers opting for this aircraft will benefit from its innovative support concept, which sets new standards of support and maintenance, including an optimized maintenance plan, simplified field maintenance, 3D technical documentation, interactive training, and a connected ecosystem.
This year has proven to be a strong one as the market continues to recover. Airbus Helicopters’ bookings level increased in the first half of 2022, and its market share is above 50 percent of the civil and parapublic market.
