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Two German states order five-bladed H145 for police forces

The Ministries of Interior of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have ordered two five-bladed H145s each for their respective police forces, following a joint European tender that was launched in August 2022. The aircraft will replace the EC135 and MD902 helicopters currently in service in the two states.

Airbus explains the H145s will feature a state-of-the-art police configuration, including the latest generation of police mission equipment and Bambi Buckets for firefighting.

“The H145 with its state-of-the-art police equipment will be the backbone of the German state police forces in the next decades, with more than 15 H145s already in service and another 15 helicopters to be delivered in the coming years,” said Stefan Thomé, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Germany.

The new version of Airbus’ H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta. This latest upgrade adds a new five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg. Airbus explains the simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design will also ease maintenance operations and also improve ride comfort for both passengers and crew.

In total, there are more than 1,650 H145 family helicopters in service, logging a total of more than seven million flight hours.

Powered by 2 Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Airbus states its low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are the lowest amongst its competitors.