The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) has placed an order for 42 Airbus Helicopters H145s on behalf of the country's Ministry of Interior, with deliveries set to start later this year. Thirty-six of these are destined for the French rescue and emergency response agency Sécurité Civile, while the French national police, the Gendarmerie Nationale, will take six, with options for 22 more. The contract includes training, support, and spares packages.
Both organizations already operate Airbus-made helicopters. The 36 additional H145s will progressively replace its current fleet of 33 EC145s used for rescue and air medical transport. “The H145 has already proven its worth with the Sécurité Civile conducting many rescue missions in the difficult mountainous environment of the French Alps," said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even.
The six new H145s destined for the Gendarmerie’s fleet will begin the replacement cycle for its Airbus Ecureuils, EC135s, and EC145s. Its new H145s will be equipped with an electro-optical system and a mission computer.
More than 1,675 H145 family helicopters in service worldwide have logged more than 7.6 million flight hours.