The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) has taken delivery of its first Airbus Helicopters H145, which will perform SAR missions for the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support. A total of seven helicopters of this type were ordered to renew the organisation's ageing Bell UH-1D search and rescue fleet.

“We are delighted to be able to deliver this helicopter not only on time, but in this case even before the contractually agreed deadline,” comments Wolfgang Schoder, CEO of Airbus Helicopters Deutschland. “The H145 helicopters already operated by the Bundeswehr have proven themselves, in particular, through their very high levels of operational availability. We see a lot more possibilities for the flexible and reliable aircraft to perform a wide range of tasks in all branches of the armed forces.”

The Bundeswehr is also responsible for SAR in the event of aircraft accidents on German territory. It therefore maintains a fleet of rescue helicopters on permanent standby, and these helicopters are also available for use in national disaster management operations. The Bell UH-1D model currently in use by the Bundeswehr first entered into service in the early 1970s. The new aircraft will be stationed at sites in Niederstetten, Holzdorf and Nörvenich. The last of the H145 LUH SAR (light utility helicopter search and rescue) helicopters will be delivered early 2021, once training has been completed. Airbus Helicopters will also be responsible for logistics support, repair and maintenance of the helicopters.

Among other features, the helicopters are equipped with high performance cameras, searchlights, emergency beacon locator systems, a full suite of medical equipment, rescue winches and load hooks that can be used for fire extinguishing tanks, for example. They are easy to identify thanks to the characteristic bright orange paintwork on their doors, featuring 'SAR' in blue lettering.