Airbus awarded £33m contract to support six H145s

A helicopter manufacturer has been awarded a £33.6m, two-year contract for the initial support and servicing of six H145 helicopters to the Ministry of Defence.

The Airbus Helicopters' maintenance contract was announced yesterday and will support 30 jobs, 12 of which will be based in Oxford.

The aircraft, known as Jupiter HC2s when in military service, were ordered as part of a £122m procurement by the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) with Airbus just over 18 months ago.

Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said the contract would ensure the British Army and Royal Air Force continue to be equipped with cutting-edge Jupiter helicopters to deploy on operations.

Airbus says on its website the H145s are tailored for air ambulances and police aircraft in civilian use.

The government said the helicopters measured 13.64m (44.7 ft) in length and had a maximum take-off weight of 3,800kg (8377.5 lbs).

MoD said initial flying, to qualify and train the instructional staff, was due to start in the UK "in the coming days" before the first aircraft were transported to Brunei in February and Cyprus in March.

All aircraft will be "in-theatre" by the end of June.

Mr Pollard said: "This contract with Airbus in the UK will ensure the British Army and Royal Air Force continue to be equipped with cutting-edge Jupiter helicopters to deploy on operations, keeping the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

"We are committed to delivering the Strategic Defence Review by backing our Armed Forces with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, acting as an engine for growth and supporting defence businesses and workers across the UK."

Richard Atack, managing director of Airbus, said: "As a key partner to the UK Ministry of Defence, Airbus Helicopters has worked hard to deliver on quality, on cost and on time against a very challenging timeline to help ensure UK overseas commitments are fully supported with the first-in-class, rotary-wing workhorse that is the H145."

All six aircraft are required to undergo modification at Airbus Helicopters UK as part of the original contract.

Initially the aircraft will operate from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire before being used in Cyprus and Brunei. They're expected to fulfil the requirements previously carried out by the now retired Puma HC2s.

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