7 March, 2019: Airbus Helicopters has selected the Pratt & Whitney PW206B3 engine to power its H135 helicopter.
Airbus has proposed IFR certified H135 helicopter as a replacement to US Navy trainer helicopter. The announcement was made at the 2019 Heli-Epo industry trade show in Atlanta.
“Pratt & Whitney engines power a large portion of the H135 fleet flying in North America, and we feel this choice reinforces the H135 as the best-value solution for the Navy’s initial entry rotary-wing pilot training requirement,” said Chris Emerson, President of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and Head of the North America Region. “In partnership with Pratt & Whitney, Airbus is offering the Navy an enhanced training capability that will provide future naval aviators with the most realistic training available to prepare them for the fleet operations they will perform in more advanced aircraft.”
Salient features of H135:
1- It allows efficient training of new pilots in environments and scenarios similar to the Navy’s warfighting rotorcraft fleet.
2- Better cost and operational synergies compared to single-engine trainers.
3- Advanced Helionix avionics system, with color digital multi-function displays
4- Four-axis autopilot
5- Integrated Flight Management System
6- Engines with Full Authority Digital Engine Control and one engine inoperative (OEI) training mode.
“We are proud to power the Airbus H135 proposal in support of the U.S. Navy Advanced Helicopter Training System,” said Maria Della Posta, Senior Vice President, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “With a track record of high performance, quality and reliability, our engines are the perfect choice for the U.S. Navy.”
Technologically advanced and one of the safest in its class the H135 is a market leader, in use with ten military services in nine nations for initial and advanced rotary-wing pilot training. Currently about 1,300 H135 are flying round the globe clocking over 5 million total flight hours in various search and rescue, armed scout and pilot training missions.
Due to the advanced technology and versatile nature, the H135 has become favourite helicopter in providing instructor pilots and students with optimum platform for training missions.
The H135 will be manufactured at Airbus’s Columbus production facilities.