German helicopter emergency medical services operator DRF Luftrettung and Airbus Helicopters have announced orders for up to 10 H145 helicopters (seven firm orders, three options). 

“It is the mission of DRF Luftrettung to continuously improve medical care for people in need. With the new order of ten additional H145s, we continue to ensure the optimal service for our patients by keeping the helicopter fleet as modern and flexible as possible for our life-saving missions,” said Dr. Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung.

“As an operator that deploys its fleet for emergency medical services, the DRF Luftrettung truly understands the importance that a helicopter’s performance can have in making a decisive difference in the care a patient receives. We are therefore very grateful for the continued trust that they place in our helicopters,” said Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters. “We are proud to see that over the last decade the H145 has become the backbone of DRF Luftrettung’s fleet performing life-saving missions in Germany and Europe.”

The ordered helicopters will also be covered by DRF’s fleet-wide HCare Smart contract, which provides comprehensive parts-by-the-hour support.

DRF Luftrettung is one of the largest and most experienced air rescue organisations in Europe. The organisation and its subsidiaries operate more than 50 Airbus H135 and H145 helicopters at 40 bases throughout Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland for emergency rescue and intensive care transport operations. In addition to this, they are also deployed for  special missions, including hoist operations and day and night operations. 

The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kg. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design eases maintenance operations, improving the serviceability benchmark and reliability of the H145, while improving flight comfort for both passengers and crew. 

In total, there are more than 1,675 H145 family helicopters in service, logging a total of more than 7.6 million flight hours. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload.