Leonardo and the Australian Ministry of Defence agree to establish a helicopter transmission repair and overhaul facility in Melbourne capable of servicing MRH Taipan, foreign NH90 and certain civil helicopter main gear boxes. Planned to be set up into an existing facility of Leonardo and to commence operation in mid-2020, the centre will employ at least 12 technical staff for 30 years or more.

DART receives EASA certification for its H145 (EC145) Quick Release, Heli-Utility-Basket™ on March 19, only three months after receiving the initial FAA certification (Dec. 13, 2017), and is now able to support European operators of the H145 and EC145.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), announces Canadian certification for the expanded gross weight capability option for new S-92® helicopters. The option increases the maximum take-off weight from 26,500 to 27,700 pounds, allowing operators to carry an additional 1,200 pounds of payload. This capability was first certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2015.

Airbus Helicopters secures an additional order of one H225 helicopter from the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), bringing JCG’s H225 fleet to ten units. JCG currently operates three AS332s and five H225s, both from the Super Puma family. With this new order, the customer’s Super Puma fleet will grow to 13 units by March 2021, becoming the largest Super Puma operator in Japan.

Leonardo announces that Aerocardal Limitada has been appointed an Authorised Service Centre for its helicopters in Chile. The announcement was made during an official ceremony held at FIDAE 2018. Under the agreement, Aerocardal Limitada will provide comprehensive support and maintenance services from its base at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez international Airport, for Chilean owners and operators of AW109 light twin-engine and AW119 single-engine helicopters.

DART Aerospace is prepared for FIDAE Airshow 2018, the biggest aerospace, defense and security exhibition in Latin America. DART Aerospace is focused on setting a strong presence in the multiple countries of Latin America and has been attending a wide variety of aerospace shows and exhibitions within this region in order to showcase top-selling products and solutions adapted to operators’ needs.

The Federal Aviation Administration will host the 2018 International Rotorcraft Safety Conference featuring approximately 35 presentations and seminars in an effort to reduce the national helicopter accident rate, particularly among small operators. The three-day event will offer inspection authorization and FAA AMT and WINGS credits. Admission will be free.

Qatar selects Safran Helicopter Engines as engine supplier of its new NH90 fleet. The 28 NH90 military helicopters, whose acquisition was announced on March 14, will all feature RTM322 engines. They will be assembled in Bordes (France) and delivered to Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Marignane, where the NH90 tactical transport version (TTH) is assembled, and to the Leonardo Venice-Tessera facility in Northern Italy for integration with the naval (NFH) configuration. Safran Helicopter Engines now powers 80 % of the worldwide NH90 fleet.

RUAG Aviation expands the scope of its EASA Part 21 J Design Organization Approval (DOA) to include night vision imaging system (NVIS) capabilities. The specification of NVIS technical field entitles the aviation life cycle support and services provider to directly classify and approve changes and repairs, to design and develop supplemental type certificates (STCs) for aircraft with NVIS configurations, and to integrate new NVIS to existing platforms.

Librestream announces that Safran Helicopter Engines has successfully deployed a remote video technical assistance service using the Onsight collaborative platform. Safran Helicopter Engines first announced this innovative Expert link branded service at the HAI Heli-Expo February 28 in conjunction with Heli Austria, Rotortech Services, Inc., and Heligo, first customers of this new service.