Airbus Helicopters has laid the foundation stone for its Romanian factory, which has been established in order to produce the latest member of its family of rotorcraft, the H215. The H215 is an evolution of the former AS332 C1e/L1e.

The 10,000 sqm factory in Brasov will house H215 production, after-sales and design office activities, and will provide jobs for more than 300 employees in the long term. Its assembly line with be able to produce up to 15 aircraft a year, with the first H215 expected to roll out of the assembly line in 2017.

“The H215 is of strategic importance to Airbus Helicopters and will allow us to offer customers the best helicopter for the job, all with extremely competitive direct operating and maintenance costs,” says CEO Guillaume Faury.

“This expanded partnership with Romania, an important EU and NATO member, will ensure that our legacy twin-engine heavy helicopters are more economical than ever in current and emerging markets,” he adds.

Combining advanced avionics and a platform for rugged multi-mission capability, the H215 offers long range, power, speed, a large useful payload and favourable lifting performance in hot and high environments. Both EASA and FAA certified, the aircraft is equipped with a glass cockpit and four-axis autopilot used on the H225, providing flight envelope protection and stability in harsh conditions.