Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has ordered one new H225 and four H135 helicopters as part of its fleet modernisation programme. Currently operating 12 H135, four H155 and six AS365 helicopters, with one H215 and two H225 already on order, NPA deploys its growing fleet for missions including law enforcement, personnel and VIP transport, goods transportation, disaster relief, as well as wide area support. The five new helicopters will complement the agency's law enforcement capabilities, and the new order will take the agency's Airbus fleet to 30.

“Airbus Helicopters treasures the opportunity to support Japan's wide-ranging law enforcement missions for more than 30 years with our light twin, medium and heavy-lift helicopters,” says Guillaume Leprince, MD of Airbus Helicopters Japan. “We thank NPA for its continued trust built over the years, and welcome the agency as a new customer for our Super Puma helicopters. With an enlarged fleet, not just in numbers but also in range and capacity, we are fully confident that the new helicopters will be a timely addition, reinforcing the agency's operations.”

In Japan, H135 operators benefit from the training support offered by Airbus Helicopters' Kobe-based H135 full flight simulator centre. There are currently 94 H135 helicopters operating in Japan today. Globally, Airbus has delivered more than 1,375 H135s to about 300 customers, clocking in over 5.4 million flight hours.

In Japan alone, a total of 28 helicopters from the Super Puma family are currently flown by civil, parapublic operators and Japan's Ministry of Defense for various search and rescue missions, VIP, fire-fighting and heavy-lifting.