Airbus Helicopters raises the maximum take-off weight of the H145 to 3,700kg

In December, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) awarded the certification of the increased maximum take-off weight (MTOW) for the H145. With this enhancement, the helicopter can carry an extra 50kg, raising the MTOW to a total of 3.7 metric tons. It will be available for customers in early 2016. As the improvement does not require any structural modifications or additional equipment, it will not cause extra costs for the operators.

“By raising the MTOW we are improving the mission capability of the H145, which is highly beneficial for all operators, especially in emergency medical services (EMS), law enforcement and offshore missions, where both high payload and maximum range are directly relevant for efficient helicopter operations”, said Manfred Merk, Head of the H145 programme. “The new MTOW converts in pure useful load, be it more payload or more fuel.”

The H145 is the most advanced member of its family, incorporating Arriel 2E engines and the full-composite Fenestron® shrouded tail rotor, as well as the innovative digital avionics suite Helionix® with 4-axis autopilot. The global H145 customer fleet has already accumulated more than 11,000 flying hours since the first delivery in July 2014. Today, some 53 helicopters are already in operation in 14 nations.