Airbus to retrofit French EC145s
Airbus Helicopters has received a contract from the French Defence Procurement Agency DGA to retrofit 35 H145 (formerly EC145) helicopters operated by the Sécurité Civile agency, the company announced on 12 May.
Under the contract, the aircraft will be fitted with an improved avionics suite, which will allow them to continue performing missions in all weather conditions, while complying with the latest performance based navigation regulations.
The contract related work will be done over a period of seven years by Airbus Helicopters staff at the Securite Civile base in Nimes to minimise impact on operational activity. The electrical and mechanical modifications to integrate functions such as digital maps, GPS installations and LPV/SBAS guidance have been optimised to reduce the retrofit operation length.
Matthieu Louvot, executive vice president, customer support and services, Airbus Helicopters, said: ‘We are very proud of the trust that the Securite Civile has placed in our support and services with this second contract in less than a year. It is a great honour for us to be confirmed as the industrial partner of choice by this reference EC145 operator to which we are also providing a comprehensive, nose-to-tail global service solution.’
Victor Devouge, head, aviation means, Securite Civile, said: ‘This retrofit programme ensures that our EC145s will remain capable of meeting the most demanding operational requirements with the highest levels of safety. This fleet is now enjoying an availability rate of around 95% which is absolutely essential in allowing us to perform our daily operations.’
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