First Two of 36 Aircraft
Airbus has delivered the first two (of 36) H135 helicopters to the Spanish Guardia Civil and National Police under the contract signed last year to supply the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) and MoD.
The new helicopters will replace BO105s currently in service in a wide range of missions including police, surveillance, and rescue activities. In total, the MoI will receive 18 aircraft. “The H135 has proven to be a much-loved helicopter in Spain, where more than 80 units are already flying all kinds of essential missions for more than 25 years. Just 10 months after the contract was signed, this delivery is further proof of this Iberian success story,” commented Airbus Helicopters CEO, Bruno Even.
The Air Force and Navy, which will receive 11 and seven H135s respectively, deliveries will begin next year and will be added to the 16 aircraft already operated by the Spanish Army for training and support missions for the Military Emergency Unit (UME). From 2023 onwards, the three armed forces will be able to benefit from synergies in terms of training, operation, and maintenance.
The light twin-engine H135 is equipped with the most advanced technologies available, including the Helionix avionics suite. More than 1,350 H135 helicopters are operated by 300 operators in 64 countries and the fleet has accumulated over 6,000,000 flight hours.
