Japan Coast Guard enforces Super Puma fleet with a new H225 helicopter.

Japan’s largest Super Puma operator, Japan Coast Guard (JCG), has acquired an additional H225. With the new helicopter, JCG’s Super Puma fleet will include two AS332s and eleven H225s, for security enforcement, territorial coastal activities, and disaster relief missions in Japan.

Japan’s largest Super Puma operator, Japan Coast Guard (JCG), has acquired an additional H225
(Picture source: ANTHONY PECCHI / Airbus Helicopters)

“The fact that JCG’s latest H225 participated in a series of rescue missions immediately upon delivery and rescued 23 people, speaks volumes of our aircraft’s mission-ready performance and availability. This follow-on order also re-affirms the confidence that JCG has in our helicopters. We are certain that the expanded fleet will continue to meet JCG’s exacting requirements. Airbus remains committed to ensuring the fleet’s high availability for all missions," said Guillaume Leprince, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Japan.

The H225 is recognised as the reference in SAR (Search and Rescue) operations thanks to a takeoff sequence of less than five minutes; an all-weather capability including in severe icing conditions; and an extra-long range with auxiliary fuel tanks, leaving its long cabin free for the mission.

Cockpit crew benefit from SAR modes with search patterns and an automatic transition to hover with one-meter precision starting from any flight attitude. The work of cabin crew is aided by precise hoisting and hover control from the cabin, as well as the H225’s long cabin with wet and dry areas, large windows and wide sliding doors.
A range of mission equipment is available, such as an electro-optical system (EOS), searchlights, cabin console, hailer public address system, an automatic identification system (AIS), direction finder, radar, dual hoist and stretchers.

In Japan alone, a total of 25 helicopters from the Super Puma family are currently flown by civil, parapublic operators, and Japan’s Ministry of Defense for various search and rescue missions, offshore operations, VIP, fire-fighting, and passenger and goods transportation.