Kick-starting the modernisation of Ukraine’s helicopter fleet, Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first two H225s, out of an order for 21 aircraft, to the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior. One aircraft is destined for search and rescue missions and the other one will be operated by the National Guard for law enforcement missions. The H225 helicopters were repurposed to suit these public service missions in just over three months. Another two H225s will join the fleet in the coming weeks.
«Further to the Intergovernmental Agreement signed between Ukraine and France earlier this year, we are pleased to be celebrating the first deliveries. This Agreement for 55 helicopters enables Ukraine to provide its population with a complete range of helicopter services from search and rescue, emergency medical services, firefighting to law enforcement missions», said Arsen Avakov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. «Thanks to the excellent operational cooperation with Airbus, we will also set up a local training and maintenance centre in Ukraine to support our new modernized fleet of helicopters», he added.
«We are pleased that these two H225s have landed in Ukraine in a record amount of time. Now that the pilots have completed their H225 certification training in France, Ukraine can immediately take advantage of the excellent payload and range that the multi-purpose H225 offers along with the aircraft’s state-of-the-art autopilot that provides precision while reducing crew workload in the most demanding mission conditions», said Matthieu Louvot, Executive Vice President for Support and Services at Airbus Helicopters who attended the delivery ceremony in Kiev. «One of the next steps is to accompany the Ministry of Interior in setting-up a dedicated training and maintenance centre for the helicopters in Ukraine», he added.
The first deliveries have taken place in the frame of the Intergovernmental Agreement contract signed in July 2018 for 55 aircraft – 21 repurposed H225s, 10 brand new H145s, and 24 H125s, all aimed for Search And Rescue (SAR), EMS and other public service missions.
The 11-tonne-category twin-turbine H225 is recognised as a reference in SAR operations and is relied on by organisations worldwide including the Japan Coast Guard, the Spanish Coast Guard and the Argentine Coast Guard. Benefits for these demanding missions include a takeoff sequence of less than five minutes, its all-weather capability including in full icing conditions, its SAR modes and renowned autopilot precision.
The H225 offers outstanding endurance and fast cruise speed, and can be fitted with a wide range of mission equipment to suit any role. The H225 family has accumulated over 640,000 flight hours to date.
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