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2023-10-10

H145: The Unrivalled Performer

Airbus’ H145, the newest addition to the company’s four-tonne-class twin-engine rotorcraft product range, is meticulously crafted to excel across the entire flight envelope.

Engineered with mission capability and adaptability at its core, this helicopter shines, particularly in high and hot operating conditions. Despite its compact dimensions, it boasts a small footprint and a spacious cabin, positioning it as the preferred aircraft for a wide range of civil and military missions.

Adaptable Configurations

The H145’s compact design and flat floor from the nose to the tail make it suitable for a wide range of applications. It can accommodate either one or two pilots along with up to eight passengers in the standard configuration, and up to 10 passengers in a higher-density configuration.

A wide range of rapidly- and easily-interchangeable optional equipment — 400+ is available.

Together with its inherently versatile cabin layout, this multi-purpose rotorcraft is tailored for emergency medical services and law enforcement duties, along with aerial work and passenger transportation, including private and business aviation as well as offshore operations.

In 2020, an innovative version of the H145 featuring a five-bladed main rotor was introduced into service. This enhanced H145 fulfils a key customer demand — delivering exceptional payload capacity.

The latest version of the helicopter family has increased the useful load by 150 kg compared to the previous version, leading to the best ratio of useful load to maximum takeoff weight (50 per cent) for a light twin helicopter.

The new H145 boasts a reduced D-value (the largest overall dimension when rotors are turning), enhancing its capability to land in highly restricted Wspaces. This heightened agility positions it as the top choice for demanding Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and public service missions.

Introducing a new level of flight comfort and smoothness, Airbus has designed a bearingless and hingeless five-blade main rotor. This rotor significantly reduces crew strain, improving overall mission efficiency. It builds upon the rotor’s simplified maintenance, contributing to an already impressive availability rate for the H145.

Double-engine Advantage

The H145 delivers exceptional performance through its two Safran Arriel 2E powerplants, each under the control of a dual full-authority digital engine control (FADEC).

This, combined with upgraded main and tail rotor systems, ensures exceptional performance in all engines operative (AEO) operations and provides crucial power reserves in one engine inoperative (OEI) scenarios.

It is the only rotorcraft of its range to take off and land at 20,000 ft — a distinction confirmed in September 2019 with a flight over Aconcagua in the Andes Mountain range (22,840 ft) — where the helicopter demonstrated its incomparable power reserve at high altitude.

Twin-engine reliability is complemented by a fully separated fuel supply system, a duplex hydraulic system, dual electrical system and redundant lubrication for the main transmission.

A key safety aspect is its inherent crashworthiness with the energy-absorbing fuselage and seats, as well as crash-resistant fuel cells.

The H145 is outfitted with a wireless airborne communication server (wACS), facilitating secure wireless data exchange with ground stations. This technology enables extensive data collection, exchange, and analysis, opening up boundless opportunities for advancements in maintenance and flight management. These capabilities are enhanced by the development of Airbus connected services.

Continuing the evolution of the BK117 family, the H145 integrates cutting-edge technologies, including an advanced cockpit design featuring a modern human-machine interface (HMI), the Helionix avionics suite, and a Fenestron anti-torque device as its tail rotor.

Airbus Helionix avionics, connected to the wACS, provides unrivalled flight safety with in-flight envelope protection, pilot assistance, data transfer, and situational awareness. It meets latest avionics standards and integrates an innovative alerting and self-monitoring system.

Additionally, it features an advanced dual-duplex, four-axis autopilot designed specifically for helicopters, providing high flight stability and precision, a unique flight envelope, over-limit protection, automated takeoff and fully-coupled approaches to hover.

The Fenestron technology brings benefits such as improved flight and ground safety to customers, as well as enhanced anti-torque control efficiency, reduced power demand in forward flight, and lower sound and vibration levels.

HUMS Monitoring

Drawing from Airbus’ H145 family expertise, new maintenance procedures optimise inspection intervals, enhancing availability and lowering operating costs. Customers benefit from simplified maintenance with the advanced bearingless main rotor, featuring fewer parts.

The simplified rotor system and airframe components, together with an enhanced main gear box, enable low maintenance costs and high in-service-time. The engines significantly contribute to the reduced maintenance costs through high TBO (time between overhaul) and an evolved maintenance concept with usage monitoring, which increases engine availability.

The optional health monitoring system with usage monitoring (HUMS) tracks the engine’s health based on usage conditions, leading to increased availability and more cost-effective maintenance.

Sustainable Asset

A sustainable, maintenance-friendly helicopter with quick on-site capabilities, notable for its 30 per cent reduced CO2 emissions, 20 per cent lower perceived sound levels, and suitability for densely populated or preserved areas. It’s on track to achieve 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) certification by 2025.

Boasting top technical capabilities, the H145 excels in both speed and performance, boasting a spacious cabin and convenient rear-loading clamshell doors, rendering it the preferred rotorcraft for a range of defence and civil missions worldwide.

Law Enforcement

The helicopter is ready for law enforcement missions, offering rapid transport for pilots and up to 10 officers or special forces. Its primary roles include patrol, surveillance, and rescue missions, supported by its roomy cabin and advanced camera systems, all controlled by an operator in communication with ground-based police resources.

Other equipment opportunities include a powerful searchlight, external hoist, and simultaneous external roping capability for two people — with one on each side. Additional equipment includes a tactical mission management system, connectivity features and an electro-optical system (EOS) digital camera.

Medical Emergency

Airbus’ H145 is tailored for primary and secondary missions, including intensive care transport.

It features wide side sliding doors and large rear clamshell doors for efficient patient loading and unloading. The expansive cabin, compliant with national medical regulatory agency requirements, accommodates one or two stretchers and medical equipment, operated by a medical team of three to five personnel.

It benefits from multiple EMS cabin interiors, which were designed in cooperation with leading EMS providers based on Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) customer feedback.

Oil & Gas

With its high and hot capability, as well as the capacity to carry enough number of passengers and one to two pilots, the helicopter is an ideal choice for onshore and offshore oil & gas missions, including passenger transportation and cargo. Its compact airframe allows manoeuvrability in challenging environments, such as oil and gas helidecks.

Offshore Wind Energy

The helicopter is well-suited for wind park operations and maintenance, offering a capacious cabin for two teams of three technicians with equipment. Its hover and one engine inoperative (OEI) performance enable safe hoisting operations. It is equipped for offshore wind energy missions with external hoists, colour weather radar, emergency floatation systems, life rafts, and helicopter emergency egress lighting (HEEL).

Private and Business Aviation

The ACH145 variant by Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) offers a blend of range, comfort, and reliability. Its flexible cabin supports over eight layouts, accommodating up to eight passengers.

New Contract

The Ministries of Interior of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have ordered two five-bladed H145s each for their respective police forces, following a joint European tender that was launched in August 2022. The aircraft will replace the EC135 and MD902 helicopters currently in service in the two states of Germany. It will feature a police configuration including the latest generation of police mission equipment and Bambi Buckets for firefighting.

Rotor Triumph

The H145 family (BK117, EC145 and the H145) has more than 1,600 helicopters in service around the world and has clocked more than seven million flight hours.

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