High Performance Helicopters (HP Helicopters), a US specialty helicopter company, is being acquired by private equity firm Antin Infrastructure Partners, as part of Antin's NextGen Fund I.

Founded in 2005 by Brad and Tracey Bauder and based in Redlands, California, HP Helicopters is focused on critical services to the utility infrastructure, construction and aerial firefighting industries. Its fleet currently serves customers in 10 states in the Western US, catering to a broad range of clients, notably including state and federal government agencies, utilities, engineering, procurement and construction firms, and aerospace and defence companies. HP Helicopters is certified to transport Hazmat, standard external cargo and human external cargo in support of diverse mission requirements throughout the country. HP Helicopters holds an FMCSA interstate carrier registration for Hazmat-certified road transport of liquids and gases, a ground logistics capability that underpins a mobile-deployment model.

Helicopters are increasingly important in the utility and wildfire response sectors for their ability to carry heavy payloads and access hard-to-reach areas. HP Helicopters has seen strong growth in this fragmented and underserved market on the back of two major but unrelated trends: a growing need for emergency response to wildfires due to climate change and rising demand for mission-critical heavy-lift services by helicopters to help modernise ageing infrastructure and support electrification and grid expansion for AI.

Both of these trends are closely aligned with Antin's NextGen investment strategy. NextGen invests in companies with proven business models and technologies that require substantial capital and expertise to scale to become the next generation of infrastructure.

This investment is the eighth by Antin's EUR 1.2 billion NextGen Infrastructure Fund I. Antin is acquiring a significant majority stake in the company, and Brad Bauder will retain a minority holding.

HP Helicopters is also strengthening its leadership team with the appointment of Santiago Crespo as chief financial officer. Santiago brings more than 25 years of experience helping scale companies across the helicopter and broader aircraft industries.

Angelika Schöchlin and Stephan Feilhauer, respectively managing partner and NextGen partner at Antin Infrastructure Partners, comment: “We are delighted to be partnering with Brad to accelerate HP Helicopters' growth. The company is a good fit for our NextGen strategy, which aims to build tomorrow's infrastructure today. We see strong potential to take HP Helicopters to the next level by expanding the fleet, further increasing efficiencies and continuing the transition to long-term exclusive use contracts with clients who want to ensure availability amid a structural supply shortage for heavy-duty helicopters.”

Brad Bauder, CEO and co-founder of HP Helicopters, adds: “We are excited to join forces with Antin. This partnership is about more than just capital; it also gives us access to resources and experience that will help accelerate the company's growth. We see tremendous value in this partnership and are confident that this is the best way to safely scale and grow our specialty services company to help meet industry demand.”