HTM Helicopters Expands its Airbus H145 Fleet with New Unit for Offshore Wind Ops

June 7, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Germany’s HTM Helicopters has placed an order for one Airbus H145 helicopter, with options for two additional units of the same type, that will be used in offshore wind operations.

HTM Helicopters Airbus H145 — *Source: HTM Helicopters*

The latest version of Airbus’ H145 adds a five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission H145, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150 kilograms.

Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite.

It includes a high-performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload, said Airbus. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are the lowest among its competitors, according to the company.

“The H145 is ideally suited for offshore wind operations due to the significant capacity it offers for transporting passengers and cargo, as well as its outstanding hover performance for hoisting operations,” said Axel Humpert, Senior Vice President and Head of the H145 Programme at Airbus.

The new helicopter that will be delivered to HTM Helicopters will be utilised in offshore wind operations, transporting technicians, and materials to wind farm turbines off the coasts of Germany and France.

HTM was the first operator to take delivery of a five-bladed H145 to be used for offshore wind operations in 2021.

In late 2023, HTM’s aircraft was used in a world premiere trial led by Airbus to hoist two crew members into the nacelles of Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind turbines in Norway.

This order will add to HTM’s current fleet which features 18 Airbus helicopters, including a mix of H125s, H135s, and H145s in use to support a variety of missions.

With the delivery of the newly ordered helicopter, HTM’s total H145 fleet will grow to eight helicopters (ten including options). Five of those H145’s (seven including options) will be used to support offshore missions.

“Over the past 15 years in the offshore wind business, we’ve seen projects move further out from the coast and require additional payload which has led us to add additional H145s to our fleet,” said Bernd Brucherseifer, Managing Director for HTM Helicopters.

“In addition to excellent OEI performance, the helicopter offers the chance to quickly perform role changes for various customer missions and is very reliable and easy to maintain. The H145 is the perfect tool for the operation and maintenance phase in offshore wind operations, and we will see a lot more demand for it in this market in the near future.”