The first U.S. made Airbus Helicopters H125 single engined helicopter will be flown by Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) for low enforcem...
The first U.S. made Airbus Helicopters H125 single engined helicopter will be flown by Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) for low enforcement missions.
Produced on the new final assembly line at Airbus’s production facility in Columbus, Miss, the H125, locally known as the “AStar” is America’s most popular single-engine turbine helicopter.
OSHP currently operates two AS350 B2 AStars to conduct a wide variety of law enforcement missions including patrol, aerial searches with thermal imagers, photo missions and marijuana eradication. The highway patrol has been operating AStars for more than 20 years to protect and serve the citizens of Ohio.
Airbus Helicopters Inc. had partially assembled AS350B2 and AS350B3 AStar helicopters in Columbus since 2005. Production of the H125 (formerly AS350 B3e) on the full final assembly line began in late 2014. The OSHP aircraft is the first H125 produced from the Columbus assembly line and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Airbus Helicopters installed the Columbus final assembly line to allow shorter delivery times, increased aircraft customization and the ability for customers to see their aircraft being manufactured, and to offer enhanced customer support.
The H125 assembly line is part of Airbus Helicopters Inc.’s 40-acre facility in Northeastern Mississippi that also produces the UH-72A Lakota for the U.S. Army. The plant has delivered more than 340 Lakotas to date, all of them on time, on budget and meeting Army quality requirements.
The OHSP will take delivery of its new H125 at Airbus Helicopters Inc. headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas, later this year.
Airbus Helicopters Inc. has been the U.S. airborne law enforcement helicopter sales leader for more than a decade and the AStar is the top selling helicopter in the market. More than 220 are now in operation with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including more than 75 delivered in the last five years.
The H125 provides law enforcement operators with high cruise speed, long range and high altitude capability. It has a spacious cabin and modern safety features, including energy-attenuating seats and fuel tank.
The H125 also features dual hydraulics, dual channel engine FADEC, 30-minute take-off power and an advanced glass cockpit Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display that lowers pilot workload. With a Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine, the H125 boasts a significant power reserve, along with unmatched tail rotor authority and hot and high performance. The H125 is the ideal platform for a wide variety of law enforcement missions in varied operating environments.
Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group, with headquarters and main facility in Grand Prairie, Texas.
