The aircraft first entered service in December 2014. Airbus Helicopters Photo
The Airbus Helicopters H175 is still on track to receive a 300-kilogram (660-pound) extension to its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) by the end of the year, the manufacturer has confirmed, allowing an additional 40 nautical mile range with the same payload for oil-and-gas operators.
At a media briefing ahead of HAI Heli-Expo 2016, Airbus Helicopters revealed it has now received 99 orders for the super medium aircraft, which currently has a MTOW of 7,500 kilograms (16,500 pounds).
The aircraft first entered service in December 2014 with offshore operator NHV in Dan Helder, Netherlands. NHV now has a fleet of six H175s (which represents all H175s currently in operation), and as of mid-February 2016, had recorded over 3,000 flight hours on the type through 1,500 flights, moving 20,000 passengers. All this with a greater than 90 percent operational ready rate.
One of NHV’s aircraft accounts for a third of the fleet’s total flight hours, and, according the Airbus Helicopters, passed its 800-hour inspection with “no unexpected anomalies found.” NHV now has a second aircraft undergoing the 800-hour inspection process.
Three more H175s are on the flight line at Airbus Helicopters’ plant in Marignane, France, two of which are due to be delivered shortly to NHV, with the other becoming the first non-NHV H175 when it arrives with offshore operator Transportes Aéreos Pegaso in the summer.
The next standard configuration to be certified on the H175 will be the VIP version, and the manufacturer expects that to be approved within the next couple of months. Deliveries of the six- to nine-seat VIP version will begin shortly afterwards.
Other program development milestones are coming thick and fast, with ADS-B Out certified within the last couple of weeks, flight tests taking place on a search-and-rescue (SAR) mode (certification is expected this summer), and flight tests to begin next month on a rig approach system (certification of it is planned for the end of the year). Flight tests are also taking place on a limited icing system, with certification planned for the end of the year.
And while there is clearly plenty of activity planned for the program in 2016, the following year will also see some notable milestones, with certification of the public services version of the aircraft, which will be the base for emergency medical services, SAR, and law enforcement configurations.
The SAR version of the aircraft will be offered with a single or dual Goodrich hoist, a Trakka searchlight, a forward looking infrared camera, and an operator’s cabin console. The aircraft will be configurable for “limited” or “heavy” SAR, with the latter allowing rescues at up to a range of 250 nautical miles.
The launch customer for the SAR variant is Hong Kong’s Government Flying Services (GFS), which has placed an order for seven aircraft. Deliveries will begin shortly after certification in 2017.
