Japan’s National Police Agency orders 5 Airbus helicopters

Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) has ordered one new H225 and four H135 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters as part of its fleet modernisation programme. Currently operating 12 H135, four H155 and six AS365 helicopters, with one H215 and two H225 already on order, NPA deploys its growing fleet for missions including law enforcement, personnel and VIP transport, goods transportation, disaster relief, as well as wide area support. The five new helicopters will complement the agency’s law enforcement capabilities. The new order will take NPA’s Airbus fleet to 30. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

“Airbus Helicopters treasures the opportunity to support Japan’s wide-ranging law enforcement missions for more than 30 years with our light twin, medium and heavy-lift helicopters. We thank NPA for its continued trust built over the years, and welcome the agency as a new customer for our Super Puma helicopters. With an enlarged fleet not just in numbers, but also in range and capacity, we are fully confident that the new helicopters will be a timely addition, reinforcing the agency’s operations,” said Guillaume Leprince, managing director of Airbus Helicopters Japan

In Japan, H135 operators benefit from the training support offered by Airbus Helicopters’ Kobe-based H135 full flight simulator centre. There are currently 94 H135 helicopters operating in Japan today. Globally, Airbus has delivered more than 1,375 H135s to about 300 customers, clocking in over 5.4 million flight hours.

The H225 is the latest member of Airbus Helicopters’ Super Puma family that has accumulated more than 5.7 million flight hours in all-weather conditions around the world. The H225 can be fitted with various equipment to suit a variety of roles. In Japan alone, a total of 28 helicopters from the Super Puma family are currently flown by civil, para-public operators, and Japan’s Ministry of Defence for various search and rescue missions, VIP, fire-fighting, and heavy- lifting.