COVID-19 Helicopters at the Forefront

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS N o. 120-JULY 2020 at the forefront Helicopters Helicopters COVID-19 Supporting the heroes heroes the Supporting RACER taking shape shape taking RACER The French Armed FrenchThe Armed Forces: A historic historic A Forces: of COVID-19of partnership partnership NO LIMITS NO SERVICES MISSION

© Frederick Florin ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 2 PORTFOLIO (read the whole storyonpage24). FAA certifi cationtofollowshortlyprior fi rstdeliverytoanundisclosedUScustomerlater thisyear Aviation SafetyAgency(EASA),markinganewchapterfor theprogramme. Thecompany isexpecting Airbus Helicopters’multi-role twinengineH160hasbeen granteditstypecertifi cate bytheEuropean THE H160RECEIVESSTAMP OFAPPROVAL FROMEASA

© A. Pecchi Airbus managesitsassets. on itsfl ightoperationswhilst programme allowsJCGtofocus This customised fl eetavailability by-the-hour materialsupport. by Airbus’HCare Smartfull- The JCG’s H225sare covered relief missionsinJapan. enforcement, aswelldisaster coastal activities,security will beutilisedforterritorial 13 H225s. Thenewhelicopters comprising twoAS332sand JCG’s SuperPumafl eetto15, This follow-onorder brings order fortwoH225helicopters. Guard (JCG),hasplacedanew operator, theJapanCoast Japan’s largest Super Puma H225 HELICOPTERS ORDERS TWOMORE JAPAN COASTGUARD © Japan Coast Guard Hungary andSerbia are ongoing. helicopters tocustomerslike same time,deliveriesofH145M is oneofthenextsteps.At (BMS) forenhancednetworking and aBattleManagementSystem Message Format(VMF)technology with jam-resistant Link16 Variable real time.EquippingtheH145M to virtuallyanywhere onEarth in encrypted datafrom thehelicopter making possiblethetransmissionof based datatransmissionsystem, solutions forarobust satellite- in 2018,Airbusisworkingon the highestlevelofinteroperability unmanned teamingwithaUAV upto a demonstrationofmanned- of itsH145Mhelicopters.Following expanding thedigitalcapabilities partners, AirbusHelicoptersis In closecooperationwithindustrial AND INTEROPERABILITY ADVANCED NETWORKING H145M: NEWTECHNOLOGIES, © A. Pecchi operations inthe Antarctic. assets fortheNavy’s verydemanding performance inpolarweatherare real helicopters aswelltheirreliability and The multi-missioncapacityofthe H125 including itslaboratoriesandshelters. Ferraz Antarctic research station, maintenance ofBrazil’s Comandante to Antarctica, butalsoassures the personnel, equipmentandsupplies Navy isincharge ofthetransport PROANTAR programme, theBrazilian As partofthelogisticssupportto (PROANTAR). in theBrazilianAntarctic Programme Maximiliano”, participateeveryyear along withfellowicebreaker, “Almirante of theNavy’s research vessels,which on board the“AryRongel”ship,one spending fi vemonthsintheAntarctic as theUH-13–camebackhomeafter Two BrazilianNavyH125s–alsoknown ANTARCTIC CAMPAIGN AFTER ANOTHERSUCCESSFUL H125: RETURNTOBASE © Brazilian Navy RELIABILITY

ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 3 ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 4 RELIEF PORTFOLIO arrival ofthefi rstGuépard helicopters. sea, whilehelpingtomaintaintheir expertise,pendingthe increase theeffi ciencyand capacityofNavyvesselsat 25 Aprilaboard thefrigate,LaFayette.Thiscapabilitywill mission foracertifi cationcampaigntook placefrom 20to to allowmanualfoldingoftheblades. Thefi rston-ship with lashingringsandamodifi cationofthe rotor head carried onships.Inparticular, theyhavebeenretrofi tted land forpublicservicemissions,havebeenmodifi edtobe The sixDauphinSPIoftheFrench navy, usuallybasedon FOR PUBLIC SETSAIL SERVICES THE FRENCHNAVY’S SIXDAUPHINSPI Garissa andTana Rivertocarryouttheaerialassessmentmission. immediate needforsurvival.ThesecondhelicoptermissiontransportedKRCSpersonnelto county, where 200householdswere strandedforalmosttwoweeks.Therelief aidmetthe approximately twotonnesofshelterandnon-fooditemstothecommunityPakaseinKajiado Two missionswere supportedbyAirbusHelicopters.OneH125,from Tropic AirKenya,carried (KRCS) servevulnerablecommunitiesfollowingseasonalfl ooding. Airbus DefenceandSpacehaveplayedakeyrole inhelpingtheKenyaRedCross Society leaving thousandsofhouseholdsmarooned. TheAirbusFoundation,Helicoptersand Heavy rainsfrom March toMayresulted infl oodsandlandslidesacross manypartsofKenya, SUPPORTING KENYA AFTERHEAVY FLOODING

© Marine Nationale demanding conditions. and search andrescue missionsround theclock inthemost fl eet,whichtheyuseformissions suchastroop transport hospital. TheSultanateofOman has20NH90TTHinits citizens withthehoistandtransferred themtotheSalalah operation, basedinthesouthof thecountry, rescued the left hundreds ofpeopleisolated. TheNH90sinvolvedinthe June afterthetropical rains thathitthesouthofcountry the medicalevacuationof23civiliansinlateMayandearly The NH90oftheRoyalAirForce ofOman(RAFO)carriedout 23 PEOPLEFROM FLOODING NH90s FROMOMANEVACUATE

© RAFO © DR vision goggles capability. single pilotandinstrumentfl ightrules(IFR)andsingleengine operations(Cat.A/VTOL),alongwithnight for customer deliveriesinsummer 2020.Thecertifi cation coversthefullrangeofcapabilities,including The fi ve-bladedH145hasbeencertifi edbytheEuropean AviationSafety Agency(EASA),clearingtheway THE FIVE-BLADEDH145RECEIVESTYPECERTIFICATION FROMEASA

ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 5 CONTENTS

08 26 PANORAMA NO LIMITS Airbus Helicopters news RACER taking shape and events by the numbers 09 FEATURED ARTICLES 28 © Dianne Bond 20 COVID-19 PROFILES UP ABOVE Helicopters Flying with giants The H145 above the land Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters of the long white cloud at the forefront “All the helicopters that have airlifted urgent 30 SERVICES supplies, eased the burden on hospitals or 22 © Anthony Pecchi Supporting the heroes MISSION of COVID-19 ensured we observe lockdown measures The French Armed Forces: A historic partnership have also saved hundreds of lives.”

The pandemic we continue to face – because Their situation is even more drastic as they are 24 it is clearly not yet over – has proven once again directly suffering the crisis faced by commercial LIFE OF that helicopters are irreplaceable when it comes aviation. Therefore, one of our priorities will be to THE RANGE to saving lives. Apart from their obvious benefi ts provide them with relative stability in this uncertain The H160 achieves during the ‘golden hour’, there are many ways to context, working side by side with them to EASA certifi cation save lives, as all of you have demonstrated. All the anticipate risks and support the strength of our helicopters that have airlifted urgent supplies, supply chain. eased the burden on hospitals or ensured we Last but not least, we also owe a responsibility to observe lockdown measures have also saved our own teams: the huge responsibility of looking hundreds of lives. after them and protecting them from the invisible Our responsibility as manufacturers and service enemy of the COVID-19 pandemic while they are and support providers is to ensure you have working from home or on site to ensure business Communication Director: Yves Barillé (Publication Director), Editor in Chief: Belén Morant (contact. everything you need so that you can focus on your continuity. We have worked against all odds to [email protected]), Director of photography: Jérôme Deulin, Translation: Airbus mission. During the height of the lockdown this ensure that all the barrier measures and social 6 Translation Services; Amplexor. Published by: 7 (Copyright Airbus Helicopters was admittedly no easy task, but the dedication distancing, safety and hygiene requirements are 2020, all rights reserved). Airbus Helicopters’ logo and the names of its products and services are registered and rapid response of our teams has allowed us met. I would like to take this opportunity to thank trademarks. to provide all the support you need, as well as all of them for so ably adapting to this new reality. to deliver the helicopters you had ordered. We Without further ado, I leave you now with have also achieved progress with our operational the images and stories of the people who have targets, proof of which is EASA’s certifi cation of fought and continue to fi ght on the front line to both the fi ve-bladed H145 and the H160. keep us healthy and safe from harm. They are the For more information Follow us on Join us on Follow us on

120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY www.airbus.com/Helicopters twitter/AirbusHeli facebook/AirbusHelicopters youtube/AirbusHelicopters However, our responsibility as manufacturers ones who deserve the biggest applause, and this 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY goes beyond that: we also owe a social and edition of Rotor Magazine is our way of making industrial responsibility to our network of suppliers. sure they hear it. ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 8 PANORAMA 470 F H OS OFF THECOAST DRF transportedmore than equipped withEpiShuttles, were inter-hospital (among Brazilian coastwithone 175 100 cases, thetransports The French NH90,known of theirH-36Caracals. The BrazilianAirForce 24 rotations totransport Eleven DRF stations are allowing teamsto safely 175 separate thecrew from person from acargo them, French patients). 48 as Caïman, performed as Caïman,performed ship 470kmoff the rescued aninjured in April.Inmore than an infected patient. patients. COVID-19 patients. PATIENTS COVID-19 patients ROTATIONS 24 km *Data: beginningofJune congestion in hospitals. thereby relieving patients withcoronavirus, in particulartotransport missions alloverFrance, out 268helicopter Civil Security have carried pandemic*, theFrench of theCOVID-19 Since thebeginning 268 missions delivery of a new H135 at the beginning delivery ofanewH135atthebeginning fl eethasexpandedtoninehelicopters of June.Withthisnewunit,ANWB’s Dutch HEMS operator ANWB took Dutch HEMSoperatorANWBtook of the H135 andH145family. the certifi cationoftheH160. have been necessary for have beennecessaryfor 1,200 HELICOPTERS HELICOPTERS DOCUMENTS DOCUMENTS 9 during the pandemic, ensuring during thepandemic,ensuring 20,000 in operation infi vedifferent Airbus helicopters using the Airbus helicoptersusingthe compliance withCOVID-19 become thefi rstcustomer countries, forsixdifferent e-delivery process inuse Currently 37H145Mare 20,000 fl ighthourmark. The globalH145Mfl eet Helitrans of Norway has Helitrans ofNorwayhas 575 to take delivery of new to takedeliveryofnew done on the Dynamic done ontheDynamic test hours have been test hourshavebeen recently reached the Helicopter Zero to ensure theH160’s maturity from the restrictions. very start. 1st armies.

© DRF M the front lines of the crisis. They have played an essential role in their countries’ As COVID-19 stresses healthcare systems and disrupts daily life and business operations, many Airbus Helicopters customers have found themselves on efforts to combat provide the virus, helping hospitals and governments air Helicopters attheforefront medical transport and other critical services. Article: Courtney Woo, Heather Couthaud and Belén Morant completed inrecord time tosupportthefi ghtagainstthecoronavirus. fl eets.Insomesituations,aircraft adaptationsandmodifi cationshavebeen critically illpatients.Thisisespecially thecaseformilitaryandpara-public in mostcountriesfornormallynon-HEMSequippedhelicopters totransport overwhelmed andoverloaded.However, there hasalsobeengrowing demand transfer fl ightsforintensivecare COVID-19patientsashospitalshavebecome Most regions oftheworldhaveseenadditionaldemandforemergency medical FEATURED ARTICLES COVID-19

ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 9 FEATURED ARTICLES

SPECIAL PROCEDURES 1 FOR A UNIQUE SITUATION Many HEMS or public services operators began transporting COVID-19 patients using “standard” helicopters and medical equipment, but this changed when new procedures were put in place following special guidelines issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“Many of our HEMS operators continue transporting patients with their helicopters and own medical equipment, but they have all adapted their daily operations with special procedures to protect the crew and passengers,” says Stefan Bestle, EMS Marketing Manager at Airbus Helicopters. “These procedures cover, for example, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), night vision goggle curtains or other cockpit separation devices or solutions, the use of patient 3 isolation devices (PIDs), disinfection measures, and even speciﬁ c operating procedures.” © ADAC Luftrettung

WORKING AGAINST BUSINESS RESILIENCE 1: The transfer THE CLOCK, TOGETHER and a local French company, Bache 21 – IS THE ANSWER of patients from Since the beginning of the pandemic, Airbus for installation on H135 helicopters. Twenty-four congested

© Armée de Terre Despite the confi nement measures taken over hospitals; transport Helicopters has worked closely with EASA and the of these have already been fi tted for the French the most diffi cult weeks of the COVID-19 European Helicopter Association (EHA), providing SAMU, with fi ve more on order, and discussions of basic sanitary crisis, Airbus Helicopters sites maintained items; evacuation 2 support and recommendations whenever possible. with authorities in other countries are in activity whether by having employees working of the seriously In late April, the company set up a dedicated team progress in hopes of making this solution more on site or from home. Even if some operations ill; monitoring of Airbus EMS experts to give advice to customers widely available. have slowed down, Airbus Helicopters has of stay-at-home working on the front lines, and organised webinars been able to ensure its commitment to its measures ... the missions carried customers during these challenging times. to share experience and best practices. Airbus helicopters have been equipped over out by Airbus recent months with more than a dozen different On German and French sites, industrial helicopters have “We’ve found opportunities to team up with devices adapted to several models of the range. activity has been adapted to ensure been numerous, compliance with safety and hygiene operators, suppliers and regulators to make These include for example the EpiShuttle, a solid demanding and measures. On the delivery side, new above all, very available protective solutions that shield pilots plastic chamber with integrated bed, adjustable processes have evolved, such as electronic intense examples and crews from contamination, while reducing knee angle and backrest, that is currently being delivery (e-delivery). This system relies on the of teamwork. the turnaround time for helicopter disinfection used by civil and military operators in different customer accepting fl ight-test and inspection 2: The use of following transport of a COVID-19 patient,” countries. IsoArk is probably the second PID more fi ndings conducted by authorised Airbus personal protective explains Christoph Zammert, Executive Vice frequently used, already used in Spain, Germany staff, taking the place of employees from equipment (PPE) President of Customer Support & Services and South Africa (see article on page 16). their own company who usually perform became one of the key procedures those tasks. at Airbus Helicopters. during this period. 10 Likewise, a greater number of customers have These developments, together with the 11 3: PIDs are the most PATIENT ISOLATION installed cabin-cockpit separations to protect traditional deliveries on site respecting social distancing, enabled the successful sophisticated type AND PROTECTIVE DEVICES pilots from the cabin. This type of solution is now of protective unit delivery of fi fteen helicopters from mid-March Through a partnership with the Airbus Foundation, certifi ed not only for the H155, H175 and Super available because to mid-May (H125, H135, H145, NH90…) in collaboration with the French Fondation de Puma fl eet, but also for the medium AS365 and they contain the On the support and service side, teams have patient in their own l’Académie de Médecine (FAM) and operator the light H125. Customers newly fl ying with such been mobilised to ensure that customers environment and Babcock, Airbus Helicopters has supported the cabin-cockpit separations include Heli Austria and facing COVID-19 can continue to fl y without eliminate the need certifi cation of the BRAVE COVID-19 protective Poland’s Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (Polish worrying about support and logistics for disinfection. In the picture: units – spearheaded by the CHU Dijon Bourgogne Medical Air Rescue). (see full details on page 32). 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY BRAVE device. 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY © ADAC Luftrettung 12 ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 FEATURED ARTICLES Source: Airbus Infographic: BeatrizSantacruz.com medical transport and other critical services. provide hospitals and governments air countries’ efforts to combat the virus, helping have been on the front lines of many Airbus helicopters and operators in action helicopters Airbus COVID-19 ensure lockdownrespect. surveillance missionsto carry outpatroland crisis, theH125wasableto During theheightof countries aroundtheworld. police forcesinsome30 use, theH125isoperatedby Fast, agileandsimpleto operation worldwide. medical services(EMS)with635unitsin The H135isthemarketleaderinemergency medical walls. to sixstretchersortwo 4 tonnes(internal)orup 4.75 tonnes(external), essential goodsupto H225 totransport versatility allowthe High payloadand Boot covers Gown gloves or latex Nitrile N95 facemask Eye protection PPE suchas: infected patients,includingwearing their directcontactwithpotentially precautions aspossibletominimise Crew membersshouldtakeasmany (PPE) equipment protective Personal care transport. EMSmissionsandintensive secondary The H145iswellsuitedforprimaryand Pilot withmask for theentire Airbus Helicoptersrange. the patientandflightcrews,available Provides aprotectivebarrierbetween separation Cabin/cockpit * affected bytheoutbreak. to areasthatwereless overwhelmed hospitals patients from evacuate COVID-19 helicopters wereusedto missions, NH90 Among othercritical Kit LegerdúrgenceCaïman. and backrest,thatprotectstheenvironmentfromaninfectedpatient The EpiShuttle®isasolidplasticchamberwithintegratedbed,adjustablekneeangle staff andcrewfromanycontagionduringflight. Patient IsolationDevices(PIDs)protectmedical Isolation stretcher All detailshere from cabintocockpit. how tominimisethecirculationofair external aironly, whenpossible,and explanation includeshowtousefresh onboard itshelicopters. The various air-distributionsystems information noticedetailingthe Airbus Helicoptershasissuedan Ventilation with COVID-19 to transportpatients helicopters thatneed for heavyEMS more electricautonomy French Army,offers developed bythe The KLUrC*, here All details by COVID-19. have beencontaminated workspaces andtoolsthat disinfecting helicopters, properly cleaningand issued guidelinesfor Airbus Helicoptershas tools andequipment Disinfection ofcabin, patients oxygenated Up totwo used onBRAVE bubbles suchasthat Protective coversor and twonurses) or twodoctors Medical staff (one 13 ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 FEATURED ARTICLES

NORWAY Operators take up THE NINE-DAY PUSH National Air Ambulance Services of Norway needed to temporarily expand the evacuation capacity for citizens in the icy northern reaches the fi ght against of the country. They contacted Lufttransport with an urgent request for a helicopter. The AS332 L1 Super Puma was at the operator’s Stavanger maintenance facility, COVID-19 where it was in the midst of an overhaul and “not exactly in a thousand pieces but it needed a lot of work doing,” says Lufttransport COO During these months of fi ghting against COVID-19, Kjetil Indrevik. operators around the world have seen their daily routine completely changed in order to meet this unprecedented MRO provider, Heli-One, quickly got the challenge. Some of these stories follow. helicopter up and running again, installing an EMS interior which had to be tested and certifi ed for use with a patient isolation and transport system (the EpiShuttle from Norwegian

company, EpiGuard). Just nine days after the © Armée de Terre ﬁ rst urgent request, the helicopter was ready for operation at Tromsø, where it is transporting COVID-19 patients to the University Hospital of Northern Norway. FRANCE Lufttransport has performed several missions to LIFE-SAVING KIT ABOARD The KLUrC – which offers enough electrical evacuate COVID-19 patients safely to hospital in THE CAÏMAN (NH90) capacity to power the medical equipment the north as a supplement to the national service In France, Operation Resilience is the name needed in transporting COVID-19 patients – is that Nolas performs in Norway with 17 aircraft, given to the French military’s actions in the currently being developed for the army’s Puma also using the EpiShuttle. ﬁ ght against COVID-19. As part of this all-out and Cougar helicopters. mobilisation, the adapted NH90 KLUrC was born. The KLUrC emergency kit (Kit Léger d’Urgence Caïman) is a compact device that allows the army to transport and operate all of the medical

material necessary to evacuate two patients © Defense.gouv aboard an NH90 TTH Caïman helicopter. First developed to evacuate soldiers in Mali, the KLUrC was adapted in record time for COVID-19 cases through the cooperation of the French Army’s airmobile group engineering section (GAMSTAT) and French military health services. The kit had a trial by ﬁ re just after 14 the country entered stage 3 of the virus. Between 15 28 March and 8 April, Caïman helicopters operated by French Army aviation carried out 24 rotations, evacuating 48 patients to facilities in France, as well as Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This extreme reactivity was possible due to the close and unprecedented cooperation between the French Army and the French

SOUTH AFRICA VITAL SERVICES DURING BRAZIL THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FOR EVERY PROBLEM, A SOLUTION

After more than 10 years of operations and over © Helibras The H125 is the most widely-used Airbus helicopter 5,000 EMS missions for the helicopter operator, for parapublic missions in Latin America. A valuable the pandemic arrived in South Africa and asset for the ﬁ ght against COVID-19. changed the daily life of EMS operator, HALO In April, the customer centre in Brazil, Helibras, got

Aviation. But while many operators decided the © HALO Aviation a request from the national aviation authority, ANAC, risk was too high to transport possible and parapublic operators to join a working group COVID-19 patients onboard, HALO adapted is categorical: “The restriction of sales on any on using patient isolation devices (PID) to transport their procedures, equipment and behaviour to alcohol has had a positive impact, limiting the COVID-19 cases. ensure their teams’ protection while ensuring the number of cases we attend to where driving Discovering that PIDs weren’t available same high quality of EMS service to the public. under the infl uence of alcohol is a factor! for the H125, Helibras undertook an H125 feasibility HALO incorporated a ‘COVID-19 screening And the limited number of people and vehicles study for the body-length bag used to isolate procedure and checklist’ used on every fl ight, on the roads has had a signifi cant impact on infected patients. that facilitated a detailed investigation should emergency services.” The study took account of risks and solutions, it raise a fl ag for a possible COVID-19 patient. Initially, a number of hospitals were reluctant and involved tryouts using a PID with stretchers A barrier curtain in the aircraft systematically or not permitted to refer COVID-19 cases. approved for the H125. “During these studies, protected the pilots from the cabin, and all crew However, the fact that HALO was using the Helibras invited some parapublic customers to members started to wear personal protective IsoArk isolation chamber (equipped with its own actively participate in the tryouts with its own equipment just in case they had to fl y a possible negative pressure fi ltration system), provided aircraft to highlight the H125’s multi-functionality,” COVID-19 patient. Also, the aircraft and all them with a greater level of comfort. The IsoArk says Alberto Duek, Head of Support & Services, equipment were sterilised after each and isolation chamber, which has a fi lter performance Latin America. Following these tests, Helibras every mission. of 99.9995% and provides seven access was able to suggest changes to the PID’s design “Since the beginning of the lockdown and until openings, is currently being used around the for a better fi t in the cabin. today, we have performed 60 missions, which globe in the H145 family, the H155, and the As a result of the Helibras study and working group, is a marked decrease from our normal cases,” Super Puma family. ANAC issued a temporary authorisation for the clarifi es Ryan Horsman, CEO of HALO Aviation. use of PIDs together with an approved stretcher, When asked about the reason for this decrease opening the way for operators to contribute to their Read more in Rotor On line in the number of EMS interventions, Horsman country’s effort against COVID-19. © HALO Aviation

16 17 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY © Helibras FEATURED ARTICLES

USA “THIRTEEN HOURS OVERNIGHT 15 aircraft. “Part of our logistics and morning IN A NYC HOSPITAL” brief was to decide which bases were going to When the COVID-19 crisis slammed into be activated,” says Bill Stupa, Air Methods Area New York City in April, NYC hospitals became Manager. “Primarily we went with the H135 and overwhelmed in a matter of days. Urgent requests H145. We geared towards the larger platform from the Department of Public Health went out to because of the confi nes of the compartment critical care transport companies, seeking help in and the pilot’s proximity to the patient.” moving the worst cases to other hospitals. Each COVID-19 transfer took about three Air Methods responded. From 1 to 6 April, the air hours, from moving the patient via ambulance medical transport provider fl ew an average of to the waiting helicopter, the hour-long fl ight three to six patients a day from JFK International and delivery, and two hours of helicopter Airport to facilities in upstate New York. decontamination afterwards. “I had the opportunity to work with the nurses Adding to the complexity, crews worked in full and doctors to fi gure out who needed [transport] protective gear. “All you could see was their and assign them to an aircraft. That was my fi rst eyes. We’d take Magic Markers and write our experience with COVID-19: 13 hours overnight names on our suits,” says O’Connor. “These were in a NYC hospital. That night we transported individuals who had PPE on top of them, their six patients out,” says Aiden O’Connor, Director equipment was wrapped in plastic, they were of Business Development Northeast with prioritising what to touch, because once you Air Methods. touch something it has to be decontaminated. On 7 April, the company made an abrupt move It was really an extraordinary feat on behalf to mass casualty mode following an incident at of our fl ight crews.” an overcapacity hospital. Drawing on the fl eets Watch the video in Rotor On line of various partners, they were able to mobilise © ADAC Luftrettung © Air Methods GERMANY by mid-May – 10% of those were inter-hospital “YELLOW ANGELS” COME transfers. This tremendous effort comes TO THE RESCUE with risks, and imposes increased security The German helicopter emergency medical measures on its pilots, paramedics and support services operator, ADAC Luftrettung, has been staff. This includes special training for ADAC working around the clock with its fl eet of 50 Luftrettung’s crews and increased fi nancial helicopters to transport COVID-19 patients. resources for protective equipment for the With helicopters in the H135 and H145 family, crews. Yet ADAC Luftrettung’s commitment rings aircraft whose cabins are large enough to be clear: “the ‘yellow angels’ rescue service is fully able to treat COVID-19 cases and carry medical available.” equipment, ADAC Luftrettung was able to rapidly put its fl eet to use in the fi ght against the virus. In March, two ADAC aircraft transferred French patients from Metz to a hospital in Homburg/ Saar in Germany. A week later, ADAC used 18 an H145 to transfer a patient with severe lung © ADAC Luftrettung 19 disease in the middle of the night from Bocholt to the University Hospital in Essen. And pairing with the German Bundeswehr, an ADAC helicopter was used to transport an Italian COVID-19 patient from the airport in Hamburg to the German Army hospital in Westerstede. In total, the German HEMS operator carried out more than 350 missions related to COVID-19 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 20 ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 UP ABOVE The H145 above the land The H145abovetheland of thelongwhitecloud* 21 ROTOR - No. 120 - JULY 2020 © Ned Dawson * The Maori name for New Zealand. MISSION © Anthony Pecchi FRANCE

1: Since entering service in 2006, THE FRENCH ARMED FORCES : the Caracal has been in all military operations. A HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP 2: The NH90 Caïman has brought new operational capabilities to Article: Alexandre Marchand the French Navy. 3: The ALAT Puma and Cougar are still It’s a story that began in 1956 with the S0-1221 Djinn and the very present in the armed forces’ ranks.

ﬁ rst Alouette IIs. Today, the French Armed Forces is the leading 4: The Gazelle is operator of French-made rotorcraft, with 464 units which have well-deserving of its retirement and accumulated 8.8 million ﬂ ight hours. will be replaced by 2 the H160M Guépard very soon.

From metropolitan France to Polynesia, from in the heart of the Sahel. French helicopters Afghanistan to the Sahel, from one ocean to are well acquainted with the African continent; another, the French armed forces have deployed Pumas and Gazelles have been engaged their helicopters in recent years at all longitudes... in dozens of operations there for more than © Anthony Pecchi

and practically all latitudes. Alone or as part of © Christophe Guibbaud half a century. It is now the turn of the new a coalition, the French Army, Air Force and Navy generation to take over. have faced many different scenarios that have Since 2014, army and air force helicopters have put the versatility of the aircraft and crews harshly been engaged in Operation Barkhane in a semi- to the test. desert territory as vast as western Europe. Recent events have provided another example, Close air support, commando raids, destruction with the role played by helicopters in Operation missions, medical evacuations... from the Tiger Resilience for transferring COVID-19 patients. to the Caracal, from the Gazelle to the upgraded Based in Phalsbourg, the 1st Combat Helicopter 3 Cougar, all of the helicopters’ capabilities have Regiment of the French Army’s ALAT light aviation been brought into play. The Caracals even unit was the fi rst to go into action in the Grand Est used their in-fl ight refuelling capability for the region with its NH90 Caïmans, specially equipped fi rst time in operations, performing missions to transport patients and their life support lasting several hours without touching down in equipment. The Caïmans were soon followed © Eric Raz hostile areas. by the H225M Caracals of the 1/67 Pyrenees helicopter squadron of the French Air Force, SERVING POPULATIONS 22 deployed at Villacoublay Air Base. As spectacular as they are, Operation Resilience 23 and Operation Barkhane should not allow us HEAT AND DUST to forget another front—that comprising all Resilience was an operation on the home front, the civilian support missions carried out day with the participants equipped with masks, and night by armed forces helicopters. These gloves and respirators as their only weapons. are missions that are at times hazardous, yet Nevertheless, this new combat did not allow us to always valuable, in the heart of our regions 1 4 forget that other battles were being fought every or sometimes very far from France, in French day a few thousand kilometres further south, Guiana, the Caribbean and even the Pacifi c. 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2

LIFE OF THE RANGE © Éric Raz

Stringent new requirements Regulations are constantly evolving, area or in the baggage compartment. in line with technology, with the aim of The robustness requirements for achieving ever greater levels of safety. dynamic assembly components also For the H160, the fi rst member of a led to tests on a scale never seen new generation of helicopters, EASA before.” Bernard Fujarski, Head of the and Airbus Helicopters set the bar high. H160 programme, remarks that “the “We were faced with new requirements,” requirements of both the certifi cation notes Olivier Marcellin. “For example, authorities and the company in terms of we had to demonstrate for the fi rst safety, comfort, reliability, and the levels time, through demanding physical of maturity to be demonstrated never tests, resistance to fi re in the engine stopped increasing.” 1

THE H160 ACHIEVES © A. Pecchi

1: “The requirements of both the certiﬁ cation EASA CERTIFICATION authorities and the company in terms of safety, comfort, reliability, and the levels of maturity Certifi cation is a complex but essential step in the life of an to be demonstrated never stopped increasing”, aircraft: it is the offi cial recognition of its level of performance explained Bernard Fujarski.

2: “The H160 was a

and safety, the key that opens the door to its operational Deulin © J. real human adventure”, career. For the H160 the time has come to demonstrate its full said Bernard Fujarski. MAIN FIGURES capabilities in the hands of operators. 3: Certifi cation was a long-term effort Article: Alexandre Marchand 1,500 fl ight hours that has resulted in logged by the three EASA’s validation of the prototypes and two 3 documents presented and the performances pre-production aircraft announced. “It’s a tremendous for development Work on the ground and in the air and certifi cation. source of satisfaction Certification activities for the H160 picked improving its level of performance and safety.” 1,200 certifi cation for me today to know up pace in early 2018, when the aircraft Flight testing was completed at the end of documents submitted. Teamwork 24 that our customers definition was able to demonstrate sufficient 2019 and ground testing two months later, 500 people involved in Certifi cation is also the recognition of a says Olivier Marcellin, who leads a project 25 will now be able to technical maturity to launch testing both to but documentation work continued through the certifi cation work. colossal amount of work carried out over team of around 15 people responsible benefi t from all the the satisfaction of Airbus Helicopters and the first half of 2020. A protracted effort many years by the development teams, for overall coordination. At the same safety improvements its suppliers. “The certification process is that resulted in EASA’s validation of the together with the Industrial, Support and time, an ‘airworthiness’ team centralised that have been long, complex and exhaustive,” comments documents submitted and the announced Programme teams. Dynamic assemblies, and validated the technical certifi cation Olivier Marcellin, Chief Engineer on the H160 levels of performance. Digitalisation, which structure, vehicle systems, avionics, documentation before sending it to incorporated into the programme. “It involves vast amounts of has been implemented throughout the general engineering – all the departments EASA. “The H160 was a real human H160.” documentation, with input from hundreds development of the H160, has provided and all the design offi ce specialists adventure. It isn’t the various milestones Olivier Gensse, of ground and flight tests, generating valuable assistance in managing this involved in the H160 programme that we achieved along the way that have

120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY test pilot of the H160. multiple convergence loops with EASA paperwork, centralising and updating participated in the certiﬁ cation process. marked me the most – it’s the team spirit 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY and optimisations to the aircraft aimed at thousands of drawings and documents. “In 2019, the equivalent of 500 full-time that we were able to create,” concludes employees were involved in this effort,” Bernard Fujarski. NO LIMITS

A NEW APPROACH TO SPEED INNOVATIVE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS Increase helicopter speed and range while keeping costs The first RACER innovation is its general architecture, which under control: that is the goal of RACER (Rapid and Cost- combines the rotor of a helicopter and the pusher propellers 1 Effective Rotorcraft), which uses an aerodynamic formula of a fixed-wing aircraft. The propeller nacelles are attached to 2 that is innovative, yet also simple and safe. The aircraft the fuselage by a box wing that provides high-speed lift while will be optimised to fly at a cruising speed of around housing the landing gear and power transmission to the propellers. 400 km/h, offering the best possible trade-off between The engine developed by Safran Helicopter Engines will meet speed, competitiveness, eco-friendliness and mission environmental and performance targets, thanks in particular to performance. For example, RACER opens up new horizons an ‘eco-mode’ that allows one of the two Aneto-1A engines to be in the field of emergency rescue, since the reduction in shut down during the cruise phase, then to be restarted quickly response times for medical teams has a direct impact on and automatically at maximum power due to a new type of electric the life expectancy of the people rescued. motor – an innovative operating mode validated by an initial bench test campaign.

RACER FIRST GLIMPSE TAKING SHAPE In December 2019, the conclusion of the critical design 3 review paved the way for the manufacture of the first technology demonstrator. Four months later, the nose Following on from the X3, section of the aircraft – made by FastScan, a German consortium from the automotive sector – was unveiled. Like RACER aims to validate the rest of the aircraft, this sub-assembly makes extensive innovative technologies for use of composite materials, synonymous with light weight and strength, to withstand the stresses inherent in high- a new generation of vertical speed flight. Compliance with weight specifications, takeoff and landing aircraft. through the use of innovative materials and manufacturing processes, is another essential aspect of the project and its Assembly will begin in the expected high level of performance. coming weeks in Marignane.

Article: Alexandre Marchand

EUROPEAN COLLABORATION RACER is a technology demonstrator funded to the tune 4 of €200 million by the European Commission’s H2020 research programme, as part of Clean Sky 2. The project, led by Airbus Helicopters, combines the specialities of some 30 partners, companies, universities and European research centres. Participants include Avio Aero (Italy) for the design of the main transmission, and Romaero and INCAS Aerospace Institute (Romania) for the manufacture of the fuselage. Ultimately, RACER represents an important 26 contribution to the competitiveness of the aeronautics 27 industry in Europe. 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY © Productions Autrement Dit © Productions PROFILES

1 Stan Kartes, an obvious choice when I was young. In fact, 2 Chief Pilot and Director of Training at ACHI – H225 I followed a traditional academic path, with I fl ew the H225 in Malaysia for the oil and gas studies, university... but I soon realised that this industry for eight years before joining ACHI was not for me. I was bored. I was lucky that two years ago. Seeing the reputation it had in a relative guided me a little towards the world the oil and gas industry as well as in the military of helicopters, and 20 years later I am here, sector, we thought it would be a good platform delighted with what I do. to perform our aerial operations. One of the big Starting to fly with the H225 was an opportunity benefi ts of the H225 is allowing us to fl y fi ve hours, for me, because I have always liked large reaching a range that most helicopters cannot do. machines. The H225 was quite a challenge It is my favorite helicopter to fl y. What I like to get the hang of, and today, it is surely the the most about it is the automation, the safety helicopter that I like to fly the most (and the behind it and its capability in all different weather one that flies the most from our base). If I had conditions. I hate to say ‘it fl ies itself’ but the to highlight something about it, it would systems behind it allow it to assist the pilot in the undoubtedly be its autopilot, because it has safety of operations. It protects you: it protects no comparison. The precision… the security your airspeed, your altitude… if you are having it gives us in SAR mode or if there is an engine trouble in bad weather conditions, you press some failure, is impressive. It is very decisive. 3 buttons and it takes over for you. 3 Jürgen Köll, 2 José Luís Chouza, Deputy Chief Pilot of Heli Austria – H215 SAR pilot at Babcock – H225 What I like most about being a pilot is the view, I have been flying in the H225 doing SAR the scenery—and how fast you’re moving 1 missions since it entered our service in from A to B. This morning, my view of the Tirol La Coruña back in 2014. Being a pilot was not Mountains was great. We started on a ski lift project. I fl ew 42 rotations in three hours. The day before, we did the deconstruction “A SAR fl ight is like a of the old lift, fl ying parts from the construction chess game: for two or site back to the pick-up spot. three hours you know I prefer construction fl ying. I like how precisely you can work with the Super Puma H215. that you are going to be We recently fl ew with a 120-metre long line. completely focused, that We fl ew a lot of huge metal things into a valley everything has to be under Flying with and a long line was necessary because it was control and that you have so tight. I do this as a single pilot because we’ve to anticipate what comes got the bubble window on the right door on the next.” “I prefer construction H215, which gives me 90% vertical reference. 28 giants As a pilot, I like to move big heavy parts. 29 fl ying. I like the precision “The H225 is a great work – how precisely The H215 is really stable as a hovering machine. platform in the clouds and you can work with the Three Super Puma pilots tell us what they like It’s perfect for precise work. It’s got a lot of is IFR-capable, as well as endurance with full tanks, it’s a fast machine and H215.” most about fl ying these heavy machines. having NVG.” it’s reliable. You start it and it runs all day long. Article: Heather Couthaud and Belén Morant That’s great for the kind of job we do. 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY © J.L. Chouza © J.L. © Diane Bond © Jürgen Köll © DR

SERVICES

SPARE PARTS AND REPAIRS have arisen with selected parts due to supply 1: Stocks in the United States and Hong Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Airbus chain concerns, the company has implemented Kong were at their Helicopters’ warehouses, logistics hubs and robust and targeted action plans followed at the highest ever during SUPPORTING THE HEROES repair shops have remained operational, receiving highest level, ensuring the highest priority was the pandemic. and delivering parts as planned or performing given to urgent customer needs so as to avoid 2: Training options repairs with the appropriate measures in place. disruption to operations. like virtual classroom OF COVID-19 While logistics became challenging at times, sessions and solutions were found to reach and support TRAINING ON CUSTOMERS’ DOORSTEPS e-learning modules will remain in the future. customers. Airbus’ network of 20 helicopter training centres “From the beginning, Airbus Helicopters took has remained operational during the crisis, with 3: While logistics Whether emergency medical services, law enforcement agencies, became challenging aggressive action by temporarily increasing stock many pilots and technicians having been trained at times, solutions infrastructure companies, or key governmental and military customers, levels to cover longer transport lead times,” says over the past six weeks (April and May, at the time were found to operators have been performing helicopter ﬂ ights their countries rely on. Gilles Armstrong, Head of Material Support and of writing). On-site training has continued in some reach and support 30 Logistics at Airbus Helicopters. “We anticipated cases, with all the necessary precautions in place customers. 31 From spare parts to training and data analytics, Airbus Helicopters remains stock shipments to ensure we would have for a safe and healthy environment. In addition, new committed to supporting its customers and ensuring business continuity enough, and we pre-planned for delays in cargo distance learning solutions were put in place for shipping. As a result, stock coverage at our some courses, with approval by national aviation during times of crisis. Rotor Magazine takes a look. platforms in the United States and Hong Kong authorities. has been at its highest ever.” “These remote courses allow our customers to Article: Courtney Woo For the rare cases where parts needed to come perform training locally, wherever they are and from Europe, the company implemented direct without having to travel. They have been speciﬁ cally drop-shipments to customers. And while issues developed by the team in order to adapt ourselves 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY SERVICES

5 critical patients to hospitals. To support NH90 missions such as transporting COVID-19 patients 4: During the operators worldwide, the NH90 programme to other hospitals for treatment,” said Olivier COVID-19 crisis, Airbus Helicopters support offi ce, together with NHI and its partner Tillier, Head of the Military Support Centre in assisted EMS companies Leonardo and Fokker, mobilised France (MSCF). “Our support has included operators in to ensure the delivery of spare parts, faster responding to urgent demands to deliver spare transferring turnaround times for repairs, the development parts, and fi nishing up scheduled maintenance data seamlessly from their site of and deployment of new solutions such as cabin work to deliver helicopters faster.” operations to the isolation or disinfection among other measures, to The MSCF was one of the fi rst areas to restart Airbus Helicopters ensure customers could perform their life-saving production activities after a four-day pause data platform. missions as planned. mid-March that allowed Airbus Helicopters 5: Ensuring the To supplement Airbus Helicopters staff already to implement the most stringent health and safety delivery of spare working on customer bases such as in Sweden, measures to protect employees. parts to NH90 operators worlwide Australia, New Zealand and Finland, the company Among others, the centre has been assisting was absolutely key dispatched teams to perform aircraft and/or the French armed forces with Operation during this period. component repairs at customer premises in Resilience with tasks ranging from dispatching order to prevent AOGs and increase reactivity equipment and supplies to disinfect their and responsiveness. helicopters, extending scheduled maintenance tasks, adapting spare parts deliveries, EXTRA HELP FOR THE MILITARY maintaining personnel at the bases, and fi nalising SUPPORT CENTRE IN FRANCE maintenance or retrofi t work to enable Cougars, “The French armed forces have been on the EC145s, Caracals, Pumas, and NH90s to be put front lines from the beginning, performing critical back into fl ight or to continue fl ying. © Dianne Bond

to the crucial needs of helicopter operators and Monitoring website application, available from the continuously support fl ights safety,” said Sabrina AirbusWorld collaborative customer portal. This data Barbera, Head of Training at Airbus Helicopters. analytics service provides overviews of fl ight sessions Training will continue to be an area of focus for and associated usage parameters such as cycles, Airbus Helicopters, with remote learning options engines counters and events; data quality and - avril 2020 Terre Armée de © proposed in a permanent way, and things like virtual consistency checks; and fl eet airworthiness status. classroom sessions and e-learning modules likely For EMS customers like Hungarian Air Ambulance on the menu in the future. and HTM Helicopters, in-house experts at Airbus Helicopters analysed their data on a daily basis in MAKING THE MOST the early weeks of the crisis, thereby easing their OF CUSTOMER DATA data analysis workload by 70%, allowing them With operations stressed to the limit, helping to focus entirely on their life-saving operations. customers manage their fl eets with data collection The Flight Analyser application is at the heart and analysis is a promising area. During the of these analyses, automatically processing fl ight 32 COVID-19 crisis, Airbus Helicopters assisted EMS data and detecting potential incidents before they 33 operators in transferring data seamlessly from their lead to accidents. site of operations to the Airbus Helicopters data platform. All of this data was available to Airbus KEEPING MILITARY AND technical support teams, ensuring that when they GOVERNMENTAL HELICOPTER received a customer query, they had the latest OPERATORS IN THE AIR information at their fi ngertips. Military and para-public operators often found Accompanying this data transfer is the Fleet themselves on the front lines, transporting 120 - JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY 2020 ROTOR - N o. 120 JULY YOU.

F LY

Continuous customer feedback means we’re able to constantly re-engineer and improve our service. It’s just one of the reasons we’re the helicopter industry’s biggest service network, providing 24/7 assistance to 150 countries around the world.

Collaboration. We make it fly.