Despite the negative scenario caused by COVID-19, Airbus Helicopters recorded 289 gross orders (268 net) and delivered 300 helicopters worldwide. One of the highlights is the H145, with 84 orders. Of these, 17 are from the UH-72B Lakota for the United States Army. This is the first version equipped with a Fenestron-type tail rotor. In September Airbus delivered the 463rd unit of the UH-72A to the US Army.
Still in the military segment, Airbus delivered the first H225M to the Kuwait Air Force and NH-90 to the Spanish Air Force. The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) ordered 31 NH-90s to replace their Sea Lynx.
Overall, the H125 was the best-selling model with 102 units. In the civilian environment, another highlight was the delivery of the first five-bladed H145 to Norsk Luftambulanse, a medical service provider, which is the aircraft's launch customer, followed by deliveries to DRF Luftrettung at the end of the year.
The H135 has won 33 firm orders. EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) also granted a new gross weight to the model, in addition to having received a new IFR cabin layout for flights with a single pilot.
Milestone Aviation and Heli-Union became the newest H160 customers. In total, 11 helicopters of this model were ordered.
Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said he was “proud of our teams around the world, who have adapted their ways of working to be there for our customers when they needed us most, striving to help them maintain their critical missions around the world by providing helicopters and the associated and services they needed.”
In July last year, the first flight of the VSR700, an unmanned reconnaissance helicopter, took place. At the end of the year, the aircraft was tested on vessels.
With Airbus
