Airbus Helicopters is unveiling a new version of
its H145 light twin-engine helicopter at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta
this week.
Visible on the Airbus booth at the show, this
latest upgrade brings a new five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission
H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg while
delivering new levels of comfort, simplicity and connectivity.
“We’re extremely happy to be able to showcase
the new H145 to our customers here in Atlanta as this upgrade owes
a lot to the feedback they have provided us over the years about
the aircraft,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “Our teams
have worked hard to quickly bring to the market a set of
innovations that we believe will contribute to the success of our
customers’ operations. It is their trust in the H145 and all its
predecessor variants over the last decades that have made it the
fantastic helicopter it has become today, and I want to thank them
for their continuous support.”
The H145’s new five-bladed rotor brings a
significant increase in overall performance, with a maximum
take-off weight raised to 3,800 kg and a useful load now
equivalent to the aircraft’s empty weight.
The simplicity of the
new bearingless main rotor design will also ease maintenance
operations, while the reduced rotor diameter will allow the
H145 to operate in more confined areas.
The new H145 introduces new levels of on-board
connectivity to customers and operators through the integration of
the wireless Airborne Communication System (wACS), allowing
seamless and secure transmission of data generated by the
helicopter in real-time, including in-flight.
EASA certification of the new H145 is planned
for early 2020, with first deliveries to follow later that year.
This upgrade will also be offered to
current H145 customers as a retrofit option.
The H145 is powered by two Safran Arriel 2E
engines.
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