Australia’s EC135 T2 Plus Military training helicopter Completes First Flight

The first EC135 T2 Plus helicopter being acquired by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for its new Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) has completed its first flight today.

Under the HATS project, a joint training scheme for both Army and Navy aircrew will utilise some 15 Airbus Helicopters EC135 T2+ trainers, along with EC135 flight simulators and a new flight-deck equipped, sea-going training vessel.

Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) is the prime contractor for the new training system, partnered by Thales Australia which will provide the flight simulators.

The first EC135 T2+ (Serial Nbr.1179) took off from the Airbus Helicopters’ production site in Donauwörth, Germany, where the helicopter is assembled at 14.37 local time on 16th January and landed back on site 57 mins later.

The Airbus Helicopters Flight Test Department reported the successful first flight had validated the full performance of the aircraft’s systems and engines, and that future flights would test specific customer equipment.