11 December, 2018:The Lithuanian Air Force (LAF) has renewed its HCare Infinite material management contract for its fleet of three Dauphin AS365 N3+ search and rescue (SAR) helicopters following achievement of 97 percent average fleet availability over a three-year period. LAF’s renewed contract is for a second term of three years.
These helicopters entered service performing SAR missions in 2015 with a three-year full warranty and Airbus’ commitment to maintaining at least an 80 percent fleet availability rate.
“Airbus has far exceeded the availability rate agreed upon in the HCare Infinite support and service contract, achieving near-perfect 97 percent fleet availability,” said Lieutenant Colonel Antanas Matutis, Šiauliai Air Base Commander. “As a direct result, our team was able to ensure continuous around-the-clock service to those in need of rescue in Lithuania, which we hope to continue through this contract renewal.”
“Support plans like HCare Infinite with performance commitments taken by Airbus contribute towards our goal of building trusted, long-term partnerships with our customers,” said Matthieu Louvot, Executive Vice President of Support & Services at Airbus Helicopters. “In this case, Lithuania can focus its energy on effectively performing life-saving missions while Airbus takes care of all the rest.”
Lithuania was one of the first customers to choose HCare Infinite, Airbus’ most comprehensive level of HCare material management services. The terms require Airbus Helicopters to guarantee the operational availability of LAF’s Dauphin fleet, including technical support and supply of spare parts, tools and consumables.