Airbus Helicopters announced a new Alternate Gross Weight will become available on the latest version of its H135 family of helicopters.
H135 helicopters with the new Alternate Gross Weight (AGW) benefit from a 120 kg (265 lb) increased take-off weight and useful load. Airbus explains this increase can also be used to extend the range of the H135 by up to 75 nautical miles or its endurance by up to 40 minutes under standard conditions.
Airbus expects the new AGW to be certified by EASA and FAA in 2020 and can be retrofitted on all H135s with Helionix.
The Direct Operational Cost (DOC) and Direct Maintenance Costs (DMC) of the H135 are maintained under the new AGW, explains Airbus, with no reduction of part lifetimes or additional inspections. The new AGW will apply for visual and instrument flight rules (VFR and IFR).
To date, more than 1,300 helicopters of the H135 family are in operation around the globe with more than five million flight hours. More than 300 customers in 60 countries use helicopters from the H135 family for a range of missions including Emergency Medical Services (EMS), law enforcement, corporate transport, offshore wind and military training.
