Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first H135 to HTM Helicopter Travel Munich GmbH for offshore wind operations, marking a new milestone for the enhanced version of Airbus Helicopters’ lightweight rotorcraft previously known as the EC135 T3.
The H135 is well adapted to the full range of offshore operations, benefitting from the helicopter’s excellent performance, especially in OEI (one engine inoperative) conditions.
It fulfills all requirements for offshore missions, with equipment that includes a rescue hoist, an external life raft system, Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting, Automatically Deployable ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter), 3-Axis-Autopilot, Weather Radar, Underwater Locator Beacon and Emergency Floatation System certified for Sea State 6. In addition, its handling qualities, compact airframe size and small rotor diameter makes it the first choice in offshore wind business, the company said.
HTM will operate the H135 from its bases at Emden, Norden, Borkum and Helgoland, serving offshore wind farms in the German Bight. HTM has meanwhile contracted ten wind farms and customers like DONG, EWE, EON, Siemens, DOTI, ADWEN and Senvion.
The H135 joins HTM’s already-extensive inventory of Airbus Helicopters-built rotorcraft that includes five EC135 P2+ versions already based along the North Sea coastline, with the company’s fleet growing to as many as eleven H135-family aircraft by early 2016.
The H135 expands HTM’s fleet, which consists of 21 helicopters (and 4 business jets) and also comprises the EC145, EC120, AS350, AS355 and BK 117 rotorcraft types from Airbus Helicopters and its predecessors.