Story ID: 495
Metro Orders 25 Airbus EC145e Helicopters
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Deal has estimated market value of at least $125 million.
Word Count: 449
Airbus Helicopters and Metro Aviation announced a $125 million fleet order for 25 EC145e medium-twins on Tuesday at Heli-Expo 2018. Deliveries have already begun and are scheduled to continue over the next four years.

The EC145e is a lower-cost variant of the out-of-production EC145C2, a model similar to the U.S. Army’s UH-72A Lakota that is still in production. It will be built in the same Columbus, Mississippi plant where the Lakota is manufactured, helping to enable the continued operation of that facility, according to Airbus (Booth N1915). It anticipates maintaining a production rate of two UH-72As/EC145es per month in Columbus.

Metro (Booth N2207) was the first customer for the lighter-weight, lower-cost EC145e when it was launched by Airbus Helicopters in 2015, and it already flies six of them in air medical roles in various U.S. locations, including West Michigan Air Care, Children’s Hospital Atlanta, Gundersen Health Systems (Wisconsin), and Vidant Health (North Carolina).

It currently operates its EC145es as VFR-only, enabling a useful load improvement of 330 pounds over standard IFR avionics, compared to the EC145C2. However, Metro is developing an STC for a lightweight IFR package that it will install into its EC145es at its Shreveport, Louisiana completions facility. Working with Genesis Aerosystems, Metro has developed and received FAA STCs for a VFR electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and an autopilot and stability augmentation system for the EC145e. IFR certification is expected this year.

Airbus' standard VFR avionics package for the EC145e features a glass cockpit with the Garmin G500H and GTN 650 GPS and communication system. It has an mtow weight of 7,903 pounds. The weight savings from Metro's VFR-only avionics package allow an extra 70 gallons of fuel or 200 to 250 pounds of payload, which translate into another hour of endurance or an additional patient, respectively, a Metro spokesman told AIN.

Metro plans to operate some of the new EC145es in its own medevac fleet, but said it would also remarket others in medevac, utility, and VIP configurations. “The versatility and price point made it an attractive addition to a large number of rotary-wing fleets, and we have put seven in service since committing to our first purchase in 2015,” said Metro Aviation president Mike Stanberry. “The EC145e has proven to be a workhouse across various mission profiles, and we are excited about putting these new aircraft into service within our family of customers.”

The operator said it has found significant interest for the lower-cost EC145e from a diverse group of customers, including air medical, law enforcement, utility, and other missions.