The Royal Moroccan Air Force have ordered a fleet of H135s for military primary training missions. The light twin-engine H135, a reference helicopter in the segment, will be used for training pilots to perform a wide array of demanding missions including utility and search and rescue. The contract also covers an extensive support package including the delivery of Flight Training Devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots. The training programme will enable the Forces Royale Air to take full advantage of the H135’s multi mission capabilities such as NVG and winching.
“We are proud that the Forces Royales Air have selected the H135 for their training missions. It is a reliable, cost-efficient multirole helicopter that is ideally suited to transitioning to more complex aircraft. We are sure that the H135s will be a great asset to their fleet and we look forward to bringing them the best support in cooperation with our strategic partner Heliconia with its entry into service in the country,” said Arnaud Montalvo, Head of Africa and Middle East at Airbus Helicopters.
The Airbus Helicopters H135 (formerly known as Eurocopter EC135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with a digital automatic flight control system (AFCS). First flying on 15 February 1994, it entered service in 1996 and 1,400 have been delivered up to September 2020 to 300 operators in 60 countries, accumulating over 5 million flight hours. Half of them are in Europe and a quarter in North America. The H135M, certified under the name Eurocopter EC635, is a military variant.
With over 130 units operated by military agencies worldwide for training missions, the IFR certified H135 is a proven benchmark for military training helicopters globally, having already achieved more than 400,000 military training flight hours. This new order expands the global fleet to 12 military customers, including the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Japan. Equipped with Airbus Helicopters’ state-of-the-art Helionix avionics suite, the H135 offers optimal safety conditions for basic and advanced mission training, while providing a platform for easy and safe pilot transition onto more advanced helicopters.
