Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first two of eight H145s to the Bavarian Police. The five-blade helicopters will be used for pilot and crew transition training from the force’s current H135 fleet, which has been in service for more than 12 years. Delivery of H145s fully kitted with police packages will begin in mid-2024.
Those H145s will feature a computer system with tactical police mission software, easily operated from a dedicated mission command station in the cabin or by the copilot/technical flight officer via a stowable monitor. Other features will include onboard cameras, searchlights, a hoist, customer-specified tactical radios and datalinks, and illuminated blade tips to improve the safety of night operations.
“Our police forces have to deal with a wide range of scenarios: searching for missing persons, transporting special units, fighting forest fires, or dealing with natural disasters. The H145, with its outstanding performance and mission capabilities, will provide our police forces with an essential tool to fulfill these diverse missions,” said Franz Muschick, head of the Bavarian Police helicopter squadron.
The five-blade H145 features a bearingless main rotor system and a useful load increase of 330 pounds, compared with previous models. Worldwide, more than 200 H145 helicopters fly public service and law enforcement missions as part of a fleet of 1,600 H145-family helicopters that have logged more than seven million flight hours.