France’s Dragon Firefighters Get New Airbus H145D3 Helicopters

France's Sécurité Civile civil protection agency is refreshing its helicopter fleet with a switch from Airbus EC145C2s to the latest H145D3 model. During a recent media tour of the rotorcraft unit's training base at Nîmes in the south of France, instructor pilot Michaël Lenfant explained how its ethos in responding to crucial rescue missions is "to go where no helicopter can land and no ground medical team can operate.”

The team—which operates under the callsign “Dragon”—is part of the French interior ministry’s airborne assets division Groupement des Moyens Aériens (GMA). Fixed-wing groups—operating the Canadair Cl-415 and DHC Dash 8 aircraft—are complemented by Groupement d’Hélicopteres de la Sécurité Civile (CHSC). This dedicated helicopter branch is responsible for rescue operations, emergency medical services, and firefighting provision across mainland France and overseas territories.

A total of 23 Sécurité Civile bases and seven detachments operate across the country, complementing rescue work carried out by ground-based services. A rotation of four crews work from each base, with missions performed around the clock.

After being scrambled by phone, a helicopter is airborne within 30 minutes (day) and one hour (night), often with the base’s specialist medical team or other personnel onboard. In 2025 alone, Sécurité Civile carried out 18,052 missions, 81% of which were operational: including supporting emergency services, providing medical transport, performing search and rescue tasks, and aerial forest firefighting.

The Sécurité Civile is in the gradual process of transitioning from its 33 aging Airbus H145C2s (formerly the Eurocopter EC145) to brand-new H145D3s, taking delivery of around five or six new aircraft each year. A total of 15 D3 models are already operational in the south of France, with eight further units expected this year. Overall, 40 D3 aircraft will be delivered by 2029, marking the completion of the fleet renewal.

The EC145s have been in use by the Sécurité Civile since the early 2000s, themselves replacing the Aérospatiale Alouette. However, although a total of four H145D2 units were ordered in 2020 and 2021, the five-blade H145D3 was subsequently deemed superior for the mission. The interior ministry then ordered 36 H145D3s in late 2023. This latest version of the light twin-engine rotorcraft features a new five-blade rotor that has supported a 150-kilogram (330-pound) increase to the useful load. 

Operational Advantages of the D3

The Safran Arriel 2E-powered D3 also features a four-axis autopilot, full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and a Helionix digital avionic suite. According to Airbus, the new model also provides enhanced levels of safety, including performance at altitude, visibility, and advanced instrumentation.  Alongside the more powerful engines’ ability to counter strong turbulence in mountainous regions, the single-engine-inoperable provision also “gives you more flexibility and perhaps more opportunity to complete the mission,” Lenfant explained.

Additionally, the D3 can maintain its hover trajectory by GPS, something its predecessor could not. “The autopilot of the D3 is the best in the world,” Lenfant maintained. Crew members described winching and hoisting as among the most difficult elements of a mission, especially at night and in close proximity to terrain, stability is key.

A tail-mounted camera provides a live feed to the pilot while a crewmember descends on the hoist cable. For this, verbal communication is also crucial: reinforcing the trust aircrews must have in each other.

Landing represents perhaps the other single most challenging element of a mission, which despite the use of night vision goggles, can still be threatened by potential unseen electric cables or other obstacles. The D3’s stability also means it can land on one skid, maintaining a point of contact with a rocky slope, to help facilitate rescue efforts.  

Given the complexity of the role, pilot candidates must have prior experience in IFR and hoist operations, as well as a minimum of 1,500 hours. Around 90% of recruits are from a military background. Four to five new flight engineers and pilots are trained a year, which takes 17 to 20 weeks from recruitment.

Fleet Complications and Opportunities

The Sécurité Civile performs its own maintenance on its fleet from the hub in Nîmes, helping keep D3 availability above 95%. According to industrial director Thierry Saint-André, who is in charge of heavy maintenance, line maintenance, logistics and budget management, the team is “self-sufficient in most of the specialities” required. With new D3 aircraft arriving every year, efforts are already underway to adjust capacity to the shifting fleet.

Deep maintenance is carried out every 800 flight hours (typically every 12-15 months), with each shop visit typically lasting 12 to 14 weeks. Up to 21 shop visits are conducted annually from six dedicated maintenance bays. The two slots currently tooled to accommodate the D3 are set to rise to five by the end of the year, including the installation of a seventh space. A further 30 line stations in France and overseas territories support work performed here.

Saint-André’s team has already dismantled four decommissioned C3s for spare parts, which will augment the some €30 million of spare parts held in stock at any given time. For the D3, he said the target is to be able to rebuild three or four units “because unfortunately, statistically, you have accidents or incidents once or twice every year” such as a lightning strike last December. Fifteen H145 C2 models of the Gendamerie police service are also maintained in Nîmes as well, in an arrangement the Sécurité Civile describes as “very efficient.”