UK National Police Air Service orders seven Airbus H135s

Airbus Helicopters has been selected by the UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) to supply seven H135 helicopters as part of the first phase of its fleet renewal program.

The firm order is the first result of a framework contract signed with procurement agency BlueLight Commercial, which confirms Airbus as the exclusive helicopter supplier for the NPAS for up to six years.

The NPAS currently operates 16 H135 and four H145 helicopters from 14 bases in support of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. Airbus Helicopters in the UK also provides maintenance and support for the NPAS fleet, which includes some of the most widely used police helicopters in the world.
The new helicopters will be equipped with Airbus’ Helionix avionics system, and an initial aircraft will initially be used to train NPAS pilots in the use of the new system, which improves safety and operational effectiveness while significantly reducing pilot workload.

More than 1,440 H135s are currently in service worldwide with more than 7.5 million flight hours accumulated at more than 320 customers.

Sources and images

• Airbus Press Release