Latest news with #H140
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Telegraph
Upgraded police helicopters use ultra-bright searchlights to chase criminals
Police helicopters able to fly 40 minutes longer and equipped with high-resolution cameras and ultra-bright searchlights are poised to boost efforts to apprehend fleeing criminals. The National Police Air Services (NPAS) has ordered seven new helicopters expected to be delivered by 2027 that will feature a range of enhancements that will make it tougher for miscreants to escape arrest. The improved H135 model from Airbus has a higher fuel capacity that will allow missions lasting almost four hours, making it less likely that the helicopter will need to return to base while in pursuit of car thieves or scanning for offenders hiding in woods and gardens. It can also fly almost 90 miles further than current models. Other upgrades include improved video and infrared cameras that will locate suspects at greater distances and provide clearer images, together with a brighter searchlight. John Robins, the chief constable for West Yorkshire, where NPAS is based, said the new helicopters will play a vital role in 'saving lives, disrupting criminality and protecting communities.' Costing about £10m apiece, the machines are the first to be purchased under an outline contract between Airbus and the government agency BlueLight, which undertakes procurement for the emergency services. NPAS already has 16 H135s among a fleet of 20 helicopters. The service operates from 14 locations on behalf of the 43 police forces of England and Wales. It was formed more than 13 years ago with helicopters transferred from individual police forces. The new helicopters, which have a top speed of more than 150mph, will also feature increased automation through the latest Helionix avionics system. That will help reduce the workload of the pilot, who along with flying the aircraft must listen for instructions from the ground and the tactical flight officer (TFO) seated in the rear. The TFO is responsible for monitoring camera feeds and data in an effort to locate and track ground targets, which may include missing or vulnerable persons as well as criminals. NPAS fields more than 100 calls for air support each day. The existing H135s in the NPAS fleet include some of the oldest and most-flown aircraft in any UK fleet. One, based in north-west England, has racked up more than 20,000 flying hours and is thought to be one of the most intensively used police helicopters in the world. The new machines will initially replace existing ones lacking recent upgrades. Whether the entire fleet will be replaced may depend on the outcome of an NPAS study into the potential role of drones in tracking suspects. While drones might be more cost-effective, able to perform similar missions and potentially fly for longer, there are concerns about them operating over built-up areas. Helicopters also have the advantage of being able to land and provide assistance on the ground, as well as perform roles such as carrying police marksmen. Airbus this week also announced the launch of a new model, the H140, which is intended to succeed the H135 with police and air ambulance users next decade.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Upgraded police helicopters use ultra-bright searchlights to chase criminals
Police helicopters able to fly 40 minutes longer and equipped with high-resolution cameras and ultra-bright searchlights are poised to boost efforts to apprehend fleeing criminals. The National Police Air Services (NPAS) has ordered seven new helicopters expected to be delivered by 2027 that will feature a range of enhancements that will make it tougher for miscreants to escape arrest. The improved H135 model from Airbus has a higher fuel capacity that will allow missions lasting almost four hours, making it less likely that the helicopter will need to return to base while in pursuit of car thieves or scanning for offenders hiding in woods and gardens. It can also fly almost 90 miles further than current models. Other upgrades include improved video and infrared cameras that will locate suspects at greater distances and provide clearer images, together with a brighter searchlight. John Robins, the chief constable for West Yorkshire, where NPAS is based, said the new helicopters will play a vital role in 'saving lives, disrupting criminality and protecting communities.' Costing about £10m apiece, the machines are the first to be purchased under an outline contract between Airbus and the government agency BlueLight, which undertakes procurement for the emergency services. NPAS already has 16 H135s among a fleet of 20 helicopters. The service operates from 14 locations on behalf of the 43 police forces of England and Wales. It was formed more than 13 years ago with helicopters transferred from individual police forces. The new helicopters, which have a top speed of more than 150mph, will also feature increased automation through the latest Helionix avionics system. That will help reduce the workload of the pilot, who along with flying the aircraft must listen for instructions from the ground and the tactical flight officer (TFO) seated in the rear. The TFO is responsible for monitoring camera feeds and data in an effort to locate and track ground targets, which may include missing or vulnerable persons as well as criminals. NPAS fields more than 100 calls for air support each day. The existing H135s in the NPAS fleet include some of the oldest and most-flown aircraft in any UK fleet. One, based in north-west England, has racked up more than 20,000 flying hours and is thought to be one of the most intensively used police helicopters in the world. The new machines will initially replace existing ones lacking recent upgrades. Whether the entire fleet will be replaced may depend on the outcome of an NPAS study into the potential role of drones in tracking suspects. While drones might be more cost-effective, able to perform similar missions and potentially fly for longer, there are concerns about them operating over built-up areas. Helicopters also have the advantage of being able to land and provide assistance on the ground, as well as perform roles such as carrying police marksmen. Airbus this week also announced the launch of a new model, the H140, which is intended to succeed the H135 with police and air ambulance users next decade. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Airbus Helicopters to launch new H140 model
By Tim Hepher PARIS (Reuters) -Airbus Helicopters on Tuesday announced the launch of its first all-new helicopter in about a decade: a light, twin-engined model aimed initially at emergency services. The H140 helicopter in the 3 metric ton class will enter service in 2028 and expand on the existing H135, the world's largest civil helicopter maker said. Airbus said the new five-bladed helicopter would offer a bigger cabin than the H135 and would be powered by Safran's Arrius 2E engine. The launch of a new helicopter follows an internal study code-named X8 aimed at preparing an eventual successor to the decades-old H135, industry sources said, though Airbus took pains not to rattle potential buyers of the existing model. "Don't worry, we will continue to propose this want to continue to give choice," Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told delegates at the Verticon event in Dallas, during a livestreamed ceremony. The move comes two years after another coded project, X9, to develop a demonstrator for technologies to develop a successor to the best-selling and larger H145, first revealed by Reuters. Successors to the H135 and eventually the H145 would regenerate the German side of Airbus Helicopters, formed from a 1992 merger between divisions of France's Aerospatiale and MBB of Germany to counter U.S. rivals led by Bell, Boeing and Sikorsky and originally called Eurocopter. Spain joined later. For now, analysts say Airbus is being careful to balance the need to prepare for new products with continued solid demand for its existing light twin-engined portfolio, and is avoiding saying how the projects fit into future replacement plans. Donauwoerth in Bavaria is home to the twin-engined H135 and H145, while other civil programmes focus mainly on Marignane, France, where Airbus Helicopters is based. The H140 will be managed and assembled in Germany, though Airbus Helicopters increasingly uses a production philosophy pioneered by the larger jetliners division, which involves sites across Europe specialising in specific skills or manufacturing. Airbus Helicopters is the European aerospace giant's smallest but most profitable division, as the main civil jet business tackles production snags and the defence and space division is dealing with cost overruns. Divisional profit in Helicopters rose more than 11% last year as revenue rose 8%, outpacing other parts of the group. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Airbus Helicopters to launch new H140 model
PARIS, March 10 (Reuters) - Airbus Helicopters ( opens new tab on Tuesday announced the launch of its first all-new helicopter in about a decade: a light, twin-engined model aimed at emergency services. The H140 helicopter in the 3 ton class will enter service in 2028 and expand on the existing H135, the world's largest civil helicopter maker said in a statement.
