Airbus confirms H145M bid in key Australian military rotary wing campaign

Brisbane, Airbus Australia Pacific Managing Director Andrew Mathewson confirmed that Airbus has recently responded to the Commonwealth of Australia’s request for information for a four-tonne class, rapidly deployable, multi-role helicopter for Australian Special Forces.

“The Airbus H145M helicopter is the military version of the H145 – the most advanced member of Airbus’ multi-purpose twin-engine category. It is based on a commercial off-theshelf platform with military-specific modifications and is an operationally proven, affordable and low-risk option for Australia,” said Andrew Mathewson.

“The H145M programme and systems are based on around five million hours of flying experience with the H145 family of aircraft which has over 1,300 units in service today.

The Airbus Australia Pacific response included selected industry partners and the provision of training, maintenance, logistics and engineering activities. A comprehensive transfer of technology and skills will make Airbus Australia Pacific a regional centre able to proactively support Australian operational needs, and export this knowledge back into the wider H145M community,” he added.

Mathewson said that other strengths of the Airbus H145M included:

• - Excellent access and cabin space
• Compact footprint for maximum agility
• - Excellent hot and high flight performance
• - Airbus Helionix cockpit which reduces pilot workload and allows greater situational awareness
• - Full multi-role capability allowing support to missions including aerial assault, aerial fire support, attack, ISTAR, CASEVAC and general utility tasks
• - High availability; reliable and robust systems; a small logistic footprint; proven by operations in similar configuration, roles and environment
• - High rotor clearance and shrouded Fenestron for operations close to obstacles
  

“Airbus stands ready to respond to the next stage in the tender process,” Mathewson added.

Airbus is showcasing an array of innovative products for modern defence and security solutions at Eurosatory

Mock-ups of helicopters, drones and the latest in intelligence networks on show

Paris, Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space will be showcasing an array of products, destined to providing defence and security solutions worldwide with their most innovative solutions, at their booth C158 in Hall 5A at Eurosatory this year.

Airbus Helicopters’ display includes a scale mock-up of the H160M that was selected in the frame of the French Joint Light Helicopter program (HIL) that aims at replacing six types of helicopters in service in the three French armies. A new generation aircraft, the H160 will enter into service in the French Armed Forces, giving them a modern and high performing helicopter that has a low logistical footprint and that will be operational for the next 30 years. A scale mock-up of the H145M, alongside an HForce demonstrator, will also be on show. The H145M equipped with HForce recently performed ballistic and laser guided rocket testing ahead of delivery to launch customer Serbia later this year. The aircraft also recently demonstrated the highest level of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities further enhancing its operational capabilities.

Also on display, the VSR700 is Airbus Helicopters’ rotary wing unmanned aerial system designed to fulfil the demanding requirements of global navies. With the best coverage of any VUAS it can operate from small corvettes to major warships in the most demanding conditions.

Last but not least, Airbus Helicopters’ display is equipped with dedicated corners on its Fleet Availability Management, Material Management, and Hcare Services.

A scale mock-up of the Airbus Zephyr will be on show. Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather and above conventional air traffic, the Airbus Zephyr systems fill a capability gap and are complimentary to satellites, UAVs and manned aircraft providing affordable, persistent, local satellite-like services.

Full scale mock-ups of the Survey Copter mini tactical drones, DVF 2000 VT/ ALIACA and the DVF 2000 ER will be presented. The DVF 2000 VT / ALIACA provides a 360° panoramic coverage thanks to the positioning of its vertical turret, and can perform intelligence missions from 10 to 50 km range. The DVF 2000 VT / Aliaca in its previous version has been deployed by Special Forces worldwide and is perfectly adapted for maritime missions using a dedicated net landing solution. With its thermal propulsion with electronic fuel injection, the DVF 2000 ER is a high endurance versatile system allowing 8 hours missions over a 50 kilometers range.

Airbus will be presenting its solutions for land and satellite communication networks that are already in use by the most modern armed forces worldwide. For the first time at Eurosatory, Airbus will perform demonstrations of its Hybrid Networks solution. This new generation of intelligent network solutions enables the aggregation of all of the infrastructure or tactical networks regardless of whether they are land, mobile or satellite based.

Airbus Defence and Space will also showcase the ‘Holographic Tactical Sandbox’, a highly innovative tool designed to facilitate mission preparation by providing a 3D holographic map viewable in an augmented reality helmet. Integrated into the chain of command, this tool provides an accurate 3D representation of the battlefield using information supplied by Airbus’ Fortion® TacticalC2 application. Operators can view and create information, which is then shared with higher decision-making levels of command.

Furthermore, Airbus Defence and Space will exhibit its geospatial intelligence centre which allows its customers to manage the whole intelligence process from the collection and visualisation to the utilisation and distribution of information on one single intuitive and secure platform. This center provides its customers with the full capability and infrastructure to securely and effectively coordinate large-scale and complex defence missions with a large number of operators.

H145M lanzó con éxito cohetes guiados por láser de 70 mm durante su campaña de disparo en Suecia

Donauwörth, la  mejora de las capacidades para el H145M continúan. En las primeras semanas de diciembre de 2017, Airbus Helicopters demostró la capacidad de disparar cohetes guiados por láser (FZ275 LGR de Thales) con su nueva plataforma H145M en el campo de pruebas Älvdalen, del Centro de pruebas de la Administración de materiales de defensa sueco . En un entorno difícil y desafiante, el sistema funcionó a la perfección.

El sistema electro-óptico (MX-15D) de L3 Wescam, con láser incorporado, permite un margen de desviación inferior a un metro en todos los cohetes disparados a una distancia de hasta 4,5 km. Este cohete aire-tierra guiado por láser de 70 mm mejora las capacidades de interacción del H145M. Cumple con las necesidades de precisión de ataque de las fuerzas armadas en todo el mundo al reducir el riesgo de daños colaterales, especialmente durante las operaciones de combate asimétricas.

"Los cohetes guiados por láser de Thales funcionaron increíblemente bien, teniendo en cuenta las condiciones climáticas que experimentaron durante las pruebas, que fueron lejos de ser ideales y además con mucha humedad en el aire", palabras de Raymond Laporte, piloto de pruebas de Airbus Helicópteros.

Tras el éxito de las pruebas de disparo balístico, celebradas en Hungría en octubre de 2017, la consecución de este nuevo objetivo con cohetes guiados por láser es una continuación de la estrategia de desarrollo HForce de Airbus Helicópteros para impulsar la capacidad de la misión H145M.

La calificación final del sistema balístico HForce en el H145M está programada para finales de este año 2018, mientras que los cohetes guiados por láser están planeados para finales de 2019.

Airbus is Strategic Partner at KADEX-2018

Unit 19 of the total of 53 attendants delivered by Airbus to the Luftwaffe. ©Airbus

Astana, 21 May 2018 – Airbus will attend KADEX-2018 (Hall1), Kazakhstan’s V International Exhibition Weapons Systems and Military Equipment, as a “Strategic Partner” this year. The exhibition will take place in Astana, from 23th May to 26th May 2018, and, for the first time, it will encompass the International Forum "Space Days in Kazakhstan", which will become one of the central dialogue platforms of the exhibition.

Airbus Defence and Space division, the Europe’s largest defence enterprise and the world's number one telecommunications satellites manufacturer and observation satellites exporter, will have a robust line-up of Airbus and customer products on static display at the show. They include its defence products, such as A400M and C295 versatile airlifters, with the latter currently in active service in the Kazakh Air Force. The A400M will demonsrate its complementarity to the C295 fleet, allowing Kazakh Air Force to greatly expand its strategic and heavy tactical capabilities.

Kazakhstan is a growth market for Telecommunications and Earth observation (EO) satellites for Airbus Space Systems unit.Two EO satellites, KazEOSat-1 and KazEOSat-2, provided by Airbus, were successfully launched in 2014 and are operated by the Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS).

Airbus Defence and Space has continuously been a reliable partner to the Kazakh space companies in the last decade. “Ghalam”, a joint venture between Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS) and Airbus Defence and Space, is one of the success stories underlining Airbus’ commitment to skills development, research and technology focused projects and initatives in the country, thus contributing to the growth of the Kazakh industry. Launched in 2010 in Astana, “Ghalam” is piloting world-class facilities for satellite design, integration and tests.

Airbus Helicopter has been a strategic partner of Kazakhshtan Engineering (ECKE) since 2010, with 26 locally assembled EC145 operated by the Ministry of Defense and the Committee for Emergency situations. ECKE has also developed maintenance and training capabilities, and operates a state-of-the-art flight simulator.

A 1:5 scale mock-up of the H145M from Airbus Helicopters will be on display. The H145M is a medium-sized military multirole helicopter capable of performing a wide spectrum of missions. This high-performance, versatile, rugged and reliable helicopter can be equipped with a large range of equipment and provides outstanding mission flexibility to military operators. Customers for the H145M include Germany, the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Thailand, and the US Army which operate its UH-72A Lakota version.

With the two JVs based in Astana, and all its divisions involved in the country, Airbus has been a long-term strategic partner to the Kazakh aerospace industry for nearly 10 years. Airbus and its suppliers are involved in multiple cooperation projects with Kazakhstan offering world-class technologies and products, including satellites, helicopters and advanced civilian and military aircraft. In close collaboration with local actors to support the development of advanced industry concepts, Airbus is successfully contributing to Kazakhstan’s technological independence and growth.

Asia Pacific’s HEMS, VIP and military markets present opportunities for the H145

Asia Pacific is an active region for the rotorcraft industry, where both the civil and military markets are showing potential for 2018. Among the helicopters generating the greatest interest, the H145 is already at the centre of talks with HEMS, VIP and military operators.

The Asia Pacific region extends from India to New Zealand, covering an area of 16,000 km and comprising the Pacific’s smallest islands to the entire continent of Australia. The region represents 30 percent of the global civil and parapublic helicopter fleet and 25 percent of the global military helicopter fleet. Of the 4,000 helicopters in operation in the civil and parapublic market, Airbus leads Asia Pacific with 40 percent market share, and represents close to 10 percent of the 5,000 military helicopters in operation.

Both of these markets expect to experience steady growth over the next decades. “We believe that the overall market growth in Asia Pacific will be at least 4 percent per year over the next 20 years,” says Fabrice Rochereau, Vice President and Head of Sales for Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia Pacific.

Multiple avenues for the H145 in the civil market

Among the region’s civil markets expected to see growth, the VIP segment, tourism, and helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are currently showing the most promise.

For Rochereau, the H145 is the helicopter to fit the bill for these three markets. “The H145 is a great performer. It can land anywhere, even in small spaces,” he says. “And its low sound signature makes it a popular choice for operations in Asia’s largest cities.” Currently, 213 H145s are in service in Asia Pacific, with 127 operators.

Rochereau expects the H145 to be a part of Airbus’ future VIP sales in the region thanks to its compact footprint and low sound levels – two qualities valued by private customers. On the other end of the spectrum, the region’s tourism market is witnessing a transformation to a middle-class demographic with the means and desire to book sightseeing flights. For excursions over water or into mountain ranges, the twin-engine H145’s manoevrability makes for exciting photo ops, all with the added performance it brings in high and hot conditions. Moreover, it is one of a handful of helicopters that meets sound restrictions for flights above the American Grand Canyon.

One of the H145’s largest civil markets for growth in Asia Pacific is HEMS. Well-developed in Australia and Thailand, HEMS is actively developing in other countries of the region. “The H135 and H145 are the world’s best-sellers for HEMS operations,” says Rochereau. “We have two H135s in operation in Malaysia, two H145s in Thailand, as well as 14 H135s and one H145/BK117 D-2 in Japan.” In 2017, Bangkok Helicopter Services became the first Asia Pacific operator to receive an EMS-configured H145.  In the same year, Japan’s Hiratagakuen became that country’s first owner of the H145/BK117 D-2 helicopter, to be deployed for EMS missions in the Nagasaki prefecture.

The numbers attest to the H145’s popularity. In 2017 alone, 76 H145s were ordered by customers globally.

Multi-purpose for the military

On the military side, the region’s defence budgets have traditionally been modest, but are growing. Many countries are seeking to supplement their militaries, while others must consider their fleet replacement requirements. In Thailand, five H145Ms and six H145s are already in use with the country’s navy and army, respectively.

Equipped with HForce, Airbus’ modular weapon system, the H145M offers a system as efficient as that of a combat helicopter such as a Tiger, but at a lower cost. “In Asia Pacific you have countries interested in having this kind of multi-role or armed scout helicopter,” says Rochereau. “The H145M is much more, because we offer a helicopter capable of using weapons but also of transporting forces, performing search and rescue, and carrying out military missions like casevac [casualty evacuation].”

In each country of the region, “there is interest or we are in an active campaign for the H145M,” says Rochereau.