Certification of Militarized Airbus Five-bladed H145 Chopper Next Year

Airbus’ new five-bladed H145 military chopper is expected to be certified next year.

The rotorcraft was recently certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), clearing the way for customer deliveries towards the end of summer 2020. The certification covers the full range of capabilities, including single-pilot and instrument flight rules (IFR) and single engine operations (Cat.A/VTOL), along with night vision goggles capability, the company said in a statement June 19.

Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will follow later this year. The certification for the military version of the five-bladed H145 will be granted in 2021.

The new version of Airbus’ H145 light twin-engine helicopter was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta, GA.  Prior to its high-altitude test campaign in South America, the new H145 performed several test campaigns including in Spain at medium altitudes and Finland for cold weather.

This latest upgrade of the H145 family adds a new five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg (330 lb). The rotorcraft has a bearingless main rotor design.

Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class.