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The Airbus Helicopters EC145 is a ten-seat multi-mission medium-weight class,
twin-engine helicopter. Development of the EC145 started in 1977 as
BK117 in a co production between MBB from Germany and Kawasaki Heavy
Industries from Japan. The first of four prototypes, two built by MBB in
Donauwörth and two by Kawasaki in Gifu, flew in Germany on 13 June 1979.
The first prototype built in Japan flew on 10 August 1979. The first
production aircraft (built by KHI in Japan) flew in December 1981, and
first deliveries took place early in 1983. Initial production was of the
BK 117 A1, while the BK 117 A3 with higher max takeoff weight and
enlarged tail rotor with twisted blades was certificated in March 1985.
The BK 117 A4 with increased performance and improved tail rotor head
was introduced in 1987. The helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and
Aerospatiale from France merged in January 1992 to form the Eurocopter
Group. Development of the EC145 started in 1997 in a co production by
Eurocopter Germany and Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan. The EC 145
flew first in 1999 and is in production since 2002. The EC 145 is actual
the MBB-BK117 C-2 and the German Government Agencies (LBA) Type
Certificate was originally issued on 20 December 2000 to Eurocopter
Deutschland GmbH. In July 2006, the U.S. Army selected the military
variant of the EC145, the UH-145 (renamed UH-72A) as the U.S. Army's new
multi-mission Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). Next to the Eurocopter
Deutschland EC145 productionline in Donauwörth, the EC145 is
manufactured by American Eurocopter LLC in Columbus, Mississippi, USA in
the LUH configuration as UH-72A Lakota for the U.S. Army. In 2010,
Eurocopter signed a agreement with Kazakhstan Engineering to create a
50/50 joint venture to assemble and customise EC145s in Kazakhstan. In 2011,
Eurocopter officially launched an evolved version of the EC145, designed
EC-145 T2. The EC-145 T2 has a significant increase of the aircraft's performance,
featuring new Arriel 2E turboshaft engines, along with Eurocopter's Fenestron shrouded tail rotor,
upgraded main and tail rotor gear boxes, dual-digital Full Authority
Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) and a 4-axis autopilot. Today, over 500 Eurocopter EC145's are in service
worldwide. |
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As a result of the merger between the Eurocopter parents Aérospatiale-Matra; DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA)
and Construcciones Aeronàuticas Sociedad Anonima (CASA) in July 2000, the Eurocopter group became a division of the new formed
EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company). Taking off into 2014, EADS was rebranded as "Airbus Group". Uniting
all its activities under a single brand, its helicopter division Eurocopter was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters on 8 January 2014. |
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On 10 July 2008, permit to fly with the Eurocopter Deutschland test
registration D-HMBN was issued for the 2008-built
MBB-BK117 C-2 c/n 9191. This EC145 was registered D-HAKA in Germany with
HTM - Helicopter Travel Munich, on 8 October 2008. When the aircraft was
seen at Emden airfield, it was operated by HTM on flights from
Emden to the Alpha Ventus offshore windfarm, 50 km north of Borkum Island. |
Luchtvaart déjà vu
