In a ceremony held on 17 November, 2015 by Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, and in the presence of Alexandru Nastase, Secretary of State, Airbus Helicopters set down the foundation stone of its new Romanian factory, established to assemble the latest helicopter to join the H Family of aircraft – the H215.
The H215 is an evolution of the former AS332 C1e/L1e Super Puma, offering a new business and industrial concept for this ready, proven and affordable helicopter, proudly built in Romania. Under the control of Airbus Helicopters Industries, the 10,000 m² factory based in Brasov will house H215 production from procurement to after-sales, including design office activities, and will provide jobs to more than 300 employees in the long term. The modern assembly line with its tact time flow line will be capable of producing up to 15 aircraft per year. The first H215 to roll out of the assembly line is planned for 2017.
«The H215 is of strategic importance to Airbus Helicopters and will allow us to offer customers the best helicopter for the job, all with extremely competitive direct operating and maintenance costs», Guillaume Faury said. «This expanded partnership with Romania, an important EU and NATO member, will ensure that our legacy twin-engine heavy helicopters are more economical than ever on current and emerging markets», he added.
All H215 helicopters will come off the final assembly line in a highly capable standard configuration, able to support an extensive list of optionals («shopping list») ready to be selected. This new concept will allow the aircraft to best meet customers’ expectations and serve a wide range of missions, providing a modern and cost-effective solution for markets such as utility, United Nations peacekeeping operations and logistic support missions.
«This new 100% Airbus Helicopters industrial centre is capitalizing on a successful history of aircraft heavy maintenance and complex upgrade programs in Romania and cooperation in the country that goes back more than 40 years», said Serge Durand, managing director of Airbus Helicopters Industries. «The aim is to offer our customers a completely new and modern business concept by proposing a standardized equipment definition for rapid production times and cost-effective acquisition prices», he added.
The H215 is a twin-engine, versatile, economic and robust helicopter that combines advanced avionics and a reliable platform for rugged multi-mission capabilities. It offers long-range capabilities, power, speed, a large useful payload and very good lifting performance in hot and high environments. Both EASA and FAA certified, the aircraft is equipped with the latest, most modern technologies meeting the latest safety requirements of the market. This includes a glass cockpit and the renowned 4-axis autopilot used on the H225, which provides flight envelope protection, unrivalled precision, and stability in even the harshest operating conditions.
Characteristics
| CAPACITY | |
| Troop transport | 2 pilots + 1 chief of stick + 28 seats |
| VIP transport | 2 pilots + 8 to 12 passengers |
| Casualty evacuation | 2 pilots + up to 11 stretchers + 4 seats |
| Sling load | 4,750 kg/10,472 lbs |
| EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS | |
| Length | 16.79 m/55.08 feet |
| Width | 3.96 m/13 feet |
| Height | 4.60 m/15.09 feet |
| WEIGHT | |
| Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) | 11,000 kg/24,251 lbs |
| MTOW in external load configuration | 11,200 kg/24,690 lbs |
| Empty weight | 5,715 kg/12,600 lbs |
| Useful load | 5,285 kg/11,651 lbs |
| Maximum cargo-sling load | 4,750 kg/10,472 lbs |
| Standard fuel capacity | 2,247 kg/4,954 lbs |
| ENGINES 2 TURBOMECA MAKILA 2A1 | |
| Take-off power per engine | 1,567 kW/2,101 shp |
| PERFORMANCE AT MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT, ISA*, SL** | |
| Maximum speed (Vne***) | 324 km/h/175 knots |
| Fast cruise speed (at MCP****) | 262 km/h/142 knots |
| Rate of climb | 5.4 m/s/1,064 feet/min |
| Service ceiling (Vz = 0.508 m/s = 100 feet/min) | 3,968 m/13,019 feet |
| Hover ceiling OGE***** at ISA*, MTOW, take-off power | 792 m/2,600 feet |
| Maximum range without reserve at Economical Cruise Speed | 909 km/491 NM |
| Endurance without reserve at 148 km/h/80 knots | >4 h 20 min |
* International Standard Atmosphere
** Sea Level
*** Never Exceed Speed
**** Mode Control Panel
***** Out of Ground Effect
