Airbus Helicopters focused on the emergency medical services (EMS) mission at this year’s Helitech International show. The helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) sector currently accounts for more than half of the helicopter market, and Airbus claims its models account for approximately 60 percent of the in-service fleet.
Steady demand for new helicopters from EMS operators has helped to blunt the otherwise steep decline experienced in the civil rotorcraft market over the past few years. That demand is now underpinning a gradual recovery in the market, and Airbus hopes to consolidate its leading position in the sector, leveraging its long expertise and portfolio of dedicated EMS solutions.
At Helitech, Airbus Helicopters exhibited an EMS-configured H145 operated by the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB), which offers a range of services related to roadside assistance and medical and repatriation assistance abroad. Its seven helicopters and 33 pilots fly more than 8,000 flights per year for four trauma centers and the Fryslân Regional Ambulance Service.
The ANWB uses the Airbus Helicopters H145 as an ambulance for those living on the Wadden Islands, who have no local hospital provision. The H145 is maintained at readiness at Leeuwarden Air Base.
The medical equipment in the helicopter is comparable with that in a normal "road" ambulance, and there are seats for an ambulance nurse, a general practitioner, midwife or paramedic, and one family member, as well as the patient.
The ANWB MAA also operates four Airbus Helicopters H135s as what it calls trauma helicopters. These carry a Mobile Medical Team (usually a doctor and a nurse) directly to wherever specialist emergency medical assistance is needed, augmenting rather than replacing the ambulance.
Two spare helicopters (one H135 and one H145) provide cover when an aircraft is down for maintenance, and to ensure the continuity of helicopter ambulance care for the Wadden Islands. These are usually based at the ANWB Medical Air Assistance hangar at Lelystad Airport.
The H135 has traditionally been Airbus Helicopters’ best-selling EMS helicopter, but there has been a growing shift to larger helicopters for this role, with increasing demand for larger cabins, more equipment, and better IFR and all-weather capabilities. The H145 has assumed ever greater importance as an EMS platform thanks to its high performance and spacious cabin. Optional equipment and a plug-and-play design philosophy make the aircraft versatile enough to be quickly converted from EMS to other roles including disaster relief or mountain rescue.
Displayed alongside the H145 on the Airbus Helicopters stand at Helitech was a full-scale mock-up of the H160 configured as an EMS machine. With the largest cabin in its class, wide opening sliding door and a roll-in stretcher capacity, Airbus Helicopters believe that the H160 will be a successful next generation high intensive care helicopter ideal for transporting critical patients or incubators over long distances.