Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters and the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) test the unmanned aerial system (UAS) VSR700 for the first time in an operational configuration from a ship at sea. At the beginning of May, the VSR700 performed 80 fully autonomous take-offs and landings from a civil vessel equipped with a helicopter deck, cruising off the coast of Brittany in the west of France.

Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) announces it recently received the 2022 Operational Excellence Award from Airbus Helicopters at its annual Supplier Conference in Marignane, France. In addition to recognizing excellence in on-time delivery and quality, the award highlights Garmin’s outstanding performance amid a period of global supply-chain challenges.

Law enforcement agencies throughout North America are placing orders for Airbus H125 helicopters, providing their communities with a valuable tool as they work to protect and ensure the safety of their citizens. In total, nineteen H125s were booked for law enforcement missions in 2022. Notable new bookings were made by existing Airbus customer York Regional Police, as well as new Airbus customers Kansas Highway Patrol and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police.

Airbus Helicopters partners with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation to develop CityAirbus NextGen’s future missions for medical services in Norway. To this end, the parties will jointly measure the added value of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for a selection of medical-services use cases across the country to integrate the operational requirements right into the configuration of Airbus’ eVTOL.

With support from Safran Helicopter Engines, TotalEnergies, and Airbus Helicopters, France’s defense procurement agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement - DGA) carries out the first test flight of an Airbus NH90 in which one of its two RTM322 engines ran on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel meets the aviation industry's objective of accelerating decarbonization without making any modifications to the aircraft, engine or logistics infrastructure (known as a drop-in fuel).

The Helicopter Company (THC), established by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) as the first helicopter services provider licensed to operate commercial flights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signs an HCare In-Service contract with Airbus Helicopters to cover THC's fleet of 20 five-bladed H145 helicopters. The HCare In-Service package has been tailored to THC’s specific operational needs, providing the company with parts availability by-the-hour services to optimize the fleet’s maintenance and performance.

French helicopter operator HeliDax and Airbus Helicopters sign the first-ever HCare Classics support contract to optimize the availability of HeliDax’s H120 fleet. HCare Classics is Airbus’ new support package entirely dedicated to meeting the support needs of the company’s out-of-production legacy helicopters.

London’s Air Ambulance Charity (LAAC), the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for the UK’s capital, orders two Airbus H135 helicopters for the renewal of its fleet under a contract signed at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Airbus signs a follow-on contractor logistics support (CLS) contract with the U.S. Army to provide spare parts, material, and engineering support for the Army’s entire UH-72A and UH-72 B Lakota fleet of 482 utility and training helicopters.

A rescue helicopter flies on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the first time, achieving a new milestone in international aviation. Operated by the German non-profit organization ADAC Luftrettung, the Airbus H145 rescue helicopter had its Arriel 2E engines ceremonially refuelled with biofuel, a type of SAF, at the air-rescue station at Munich's Harlaching Clinic in the presence of the ADAC Foundation's board of directors, as well as the managing directors and top management of ADAC Luftrettung; engine manufacturer, Safran Helicopter Engines; helicopter manufacturer, Airbus Helicopters; and energy company, TotalEnergies. Together, these companies will be a driving force in the decarbonisation of helicopter flight by moving away from fossil fuels.