Derazona Helicopters in Indonesia has ordered an Airbus Helicopters H160 intermediate twin to service the local oil and gas sector. The deal will make Derazona the launch oil and gas customer for the H160 in the Asia-Pacific region. Ramadi Widyardiono, Derazona's business development manager, said the order was part of the strategy to expand the company. This news comes two months after Airbus announced that operator PHI would fly four H160s in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from its base in Houma, Louisiana.
The helicopter received EASA type certification in July following a 1,500-hour test campaign with three aircraft that began flying in 2015. FAA type certificate validation is pending. The company’s order book for the aircraft currently stands at approximately 40.
The H160 makes extensive use of carbon-fiber composites in the fuselage and main rotor blades that enhance the helicopter’s corrosion resistance, especially in maritime operations. Power comes from a pair of Safran Arrano engines. Its Helionix avionics system incorporates the world’s first ground helipad-assisted takeoff procedure, a vortex ring state pre-alerting system, and a recovery mode to automatically regain stabilized flight.