Japan National Police Agency orders five new helicopters.

Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) has ordered one new H225 and four H135 helicopters as part of its fleet modernisation programme.

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H225 (Picture source: Airbus )

Currently operating 12 H135, four H155 and six AS365 helicopters, with one H215 and two H225 already on order, NPA deploys its growing fleet for missions including law enforcement, personnel and VIP transport, goods transportation, disaster relief, as well as wide area support. The five new helicopters will complement the agency’s law enforcement capabilities.

The new order will take NPA’s Airbus fleet to 30.“AirbusHelicopters treasures the opportunity to support Japan’s wide-ranging law enforcement missions for more than 30 years with our lighttwin, mediumand heavy-lift helicopters. We thank NPA for its continued trust built over the years, and welcomethe agency as a new customer forour Super Pumahelicopters. With an enlarged fleet not just in numbers, but also in range and capacity, we are fully confident thatthe new helicopterswill be a timely addition, reinforcingthe agency’s operations,” said Guillaume Leprince, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Japan.The H135 is an outstanding market leader in the light twin-engine helicopter segment, known for its compact build, agility, reliability and versatility. Its high availability is a strong trait for law enforcement missions. In Japan, H135 operators benefit from the training support offered by Airbus Helicopters’ Kobe-based H135 full flight simulator centre.

H135 (Picture source: Airbus )

There are currently 94H135 helicopters operating in Japan today. Globally, Airbus has delivered more than 1,375H135s to about 300 customers, clocking in over 5.4 million flight hours. Offering the industry’s best range, speed, payload and reliability in an 11-ton-category twin-turbine rotorcraft, the H225 is the latest member of Airbus Helicopters’ Super Puma family that has accumulated more than 5.7million flight hours inall-weather conditions around the world. H225 offers outstanding endurance and fast cruise speed, and can be fitted with various equipment to suit a variety of roles. In Japan alone, a total of 28helicopters from the Super Puma family are currently flown by civil, parapublic operators,and Japan’s Ministry of Defense for various search and rescue missions, VIP, fire-fighting, and heavy-lifting.