Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has placed an additional order for three H225 transport helicopters, taking its total H225 fleet up to 18. The largest Super Puma operator in Japan received three H225s in December 2023 and one in February 2024 for its growing fleet. The new helicopters will support territorial coastal activities, maritime law enforcement, as well as disaster relief missions in the country. JCG’s H225 fleet is covered by Airbus’ highly adaptive HCare Smart full-by-the-hour material support. This customised fleet availability programme allows the national coast guard agency to focus on its flight operations whilst Airbus manages its assets. 24 H225s are currently flown in Japan by Japan’s Ministry of Defence or parapublic operators for various search and rescue missions, VIP, fire-fighting, as well as passenger and goods transportation.
“The Japan Coast Guard has been an active operator of the Super Puma family helicopters for three decades. This follow-on order demonstrates the customer’s confidence in our products and the dedicated support to their fleet. We believe the H225 is the perfect choice for JCG’s critical missions for law enforcement, as well as coastal and island protection, given its versatility in all weather conditions. We are committed to fully supporting its existing fleet, as well as its upcoming deliveries, ensuring high availability for its operations.,” said Jean-Luc Alfonsi, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Japan.
The Airbus H225 (formerly Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma) is a long-range passenger transport helicopter developed by Eurocopter (now Airbus) as the next generation of the civilian Super Puma family. As the latest addition to the Super Puma family, the H225 is recognised for its high performance in challenging conditions as well as its outstanding range and payload capacity. The H225 has benefited from Airbus Helicopters’ continuous improvement policy. It is now equipped with new avionics including the largest screens available on the market and an innovative interface that, combined with its renowned autopilot, reduces pilot workload and enables them to focus on the mission at hand. The search and rescue (SAR) configuration allows space for search and rescue equipment with an operator seat, hoistman seat and up to eight rescue seats and three stretchers.
The H225 is based on the Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma, improving upon the design with a five-blade main rotor incorporating a new airfoil shape to reduce vibration and noise levels. Offering the industry’s best range, speed, payload and reliability in the 11-ton-category twin-engine rotorcraft, the H225 offers outstanding endurance and fast cruise speed, and can be fitted with various equipment to suit a variety of roles. The helicopter is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines mounted over the cabin; these engines are capable of providing 14 per cent more engine power and feature a redundant dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system for high reliability. The advanced helicopter cockpit and avionics system is described as serving to reduce pilot and crew workload and is complete with a four-axis digital autopilot.
