Airbus Helicopters announced on Monday that its new five-bladed H145 helicopter has received its FAA type certification. The newest version of the twin-engine H145 has also been approved for single-pilot IFR and single-engine operations, as well as night vision goggle compatibility. U.S. deliveries are expected to begin in early 2021.
“The FAA certification is an important milestone for the H145 program, as our customers in North America are eagerly awaiting its arrival and our entire team looks forward to delivering and supporting this new variant,” said Airbus Helicopters President Romain Trapp. “We’d like to sincerely thank the FAA and everyone else who has contributed to achieving this certification through the various challenges that 2020 has presented to us all in the aviation industry.”
As previously reported by AVweb, the latest H145 model earned its European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification last June and the first aircraft was delivered to launch customer Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation in September. The Safran Arriel 2E-powered H145 has a range of 351 NM, useful load of 4200 pounds and cruise speed of 129 knots. It is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC), four-axis autopilot and Airbus’ Helionix digital avionics suite.
