As reported by Defense Studies on July 8, Airbus Helicopters has handed over the second batch of H135 military training helicopters to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in a ceremony held at its Wing 2 base in Lopburi, Thailand. The latest deliveries saw RTAF receiving all six H135 helicopters, becoming the first in Southeast Asia to utilize the H135 for military training.

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 Airbus H135 training helicopter of the Royal Thai Air Force (Picture source: Airbus Helicopters)

Defense Studies recalls that the RTAF selected a fleet of next-generation military training helicopters in February 2020, as part of its pilot training enhancement programme. Augmenting its current fleet of H225M helicopters, the new H135s will be dedicated to various training missions, including ab-initio training. “ We are happy that Thailand now joins ten other military operators across the globe, underscoring the H135 as the aircraft of choice for military pilot training”, said Pierre André, Head of Airbus in Thailand.

RTAF’s H135s are each configured with two external cameras, providing pilots with an unblocked 360-degree view of the external environment, Defense Studies reports. A suite of tactical systems and the Euronav7 moving map are installed onto the helicopters for enhanced situational awareness, at the same time offering the highest levels of functionality, interface capability, and flexibility to meet the air force’s rigorous missions. For enhanced crew comfort, the aircraft are fitted with conditioning systems, tinted windows and height-adjustable pilot seats.

RTAF’s H135 fleet is covered by Airbus’ highly adaptive HCare Smart full-by-the-hour support, and continuing airworthiness management organization digital services. As part of a customized support programme, a dedicated Technical Representative will be attached to RTAF’s operations for an initial two-year period to ensure the fleet’s high availability. Airbus will also deliver a Helionix advanced tool simulator to support RTAF’s ab-initio missions.

With over 130 units operated by military agencies worldwide for training missions, the 3-tonne-class H135 is a benchmark for training helicopters globally, having already achieved more than 400,000 military training flight hours. Well-equipped with the most advanced technologies available, including Airbus’ state-off-the-art Helionix avionics suite, the light twin-engine H135 offers optimal safety conditions for basic and advanced mission training, while providing a platform for easy and safe pilot transition to more advanced helicopters.