Emergency medical services

Airbus’ H125 and H130 are recognised as the single-engine helicopters of reference in EMS missions, particularly in the United States, offering high performance, high availability, excellent visibility, mission flexibility and low operating costs.

Their unobstructed cabins – the benchmark in size among single-engine helicopters – offer open space without partitions, accommodating EMS equipment tailored to customer needs. With wide side-opening doors, the loading and unloading of a stretcher is rapid and simple.

With almost 200 aircraft in service for EMS missions, the versatile and economical H125 is the most popular single-engine helicopter in this segment. The H125 transports one stretcher and up to three medical crewmembers plus medical equipment. Its engine power allows operations in high and hot conditions, as demonstrated by a Himalayan mountain rescue mission performed at 6,900 metres.

With the largest cabin in its class, the H130 has a wide side-loading capability of 2.2 metres, accommodating one stretcher and up to four medical crew and equipment. The H130’s unique cabin design gives full access to the patient. Furthermore, it can be configured to accommodate up to two pilots, three crewmembers and one stretcher, unique to this class of aircraft.

In addition to excellent high and hot performance, the H130 has outstanding visibility, the lowest external sound level in its class, and the safest operation on ground and in flight with a highly efficient main rotor and Fenestron® shrouded tail rotor. This allows not only landings in hostile environments but also ensures safety for ground personnel when approaching the aircraft.

Airbus’ H135 counts around 25% of the global HEMS fleet, with over 600 units in service, making it the worldwide leader in the HEMS segment. For rapid interventions, the H135 is the first choice thanks to its compact footprint, versatile cabin design and safety.

The H135’s latest improvements are its new Helionix® avionics suite, plus a 4-axis autopilot and a performance upgrade to increase its performance in high and hot and one engine inoperative (OEI) situations.

Excellent cockpit visibility, compact external dimensions, and high-set main rotor and shrouded tail rotor systems ensure safe operations for the pilot and take-off and landing on any site.

The efficient cabin design with side and rear-loading capabilities allows the aircraft to be configured to customer needs. The H135 is offered with a variety of different EMS interiors, including single-patient, dual-patient or intensive care transport.

The H135 is well-known for its low external sound signature, which makes it the ideal aircraft especially in urban environments.

Airbus offers two different innovative low-weight floor designs which answer to demanding HEMS requirements. The multi-functional floor (MFF) allows for standard seating solutions or HEMS interiors, while the HEMS floor is fully optimised for dedicated HEMS use. 

The twin-engine H145 enjoys an exceptional EMS heritage thanks to its BK117 and EC145 predecessors. Offering the largest cabin in its class and unbeatable payload, the helicopter is perfectly adapted for inter-hospital transfers.

With its spacious cabin design and rear loading capability, the H145 is the first choice for transport of intensive care patients or transport of incubators. The helicopter’s high-mounted tail boom and wide opening clam-shell doors facilitate access to the H145’s spacious cabin. The shrouded tail rotor, called the Fenestron^®, provides the highest safety levels not only for ground but also in-flight operations.

Customers can choose from multiple EMS solutions from various suppliers. Airbus’ fixed electrical and mechanical provisions concept allows for the quick installation of medical equipment and provides a high level of flexibility.

The H145 converts quickly from EMS to other roles thanks to optional equipment and a plug ‘n play design philosophy. The H145 can be adapted from EMS to other missions - such as disaster relief, mountain rescue, and offshore search and rescue - within minutes.

The H145’s performance makes it the ideal solution for mountain rescue missions. It is available with an all-in-one solution, which facilitates triple roles such as hospital transfer flights, transport of emergency personnel and mountain rescue missions with the support of an external hoist or dual cargo hook system for HEC (Human External Cargo) operations.

Enhancements to the H145 include incorporation of the new Airbus Helionix^® avionics suite with its outstanding 4-axis autopilot.

Its low external sound footprint makes it the ideal helicopter for urban or rural environments, such as nature reserves.

The countdown has started for the latest aircraft design from Airbus. The H160 will be the ideal aircraft for intensive hospital transfers and long-distance flights. It comes with a spacious cabin which accommodates innovative intensive care cabin layouts. It will offer 360-degree patient access similar to that seen in ground ambulances.

Its smooth flight characteristics will be the first choice for critical patient transport. The H160 will come with the Airbus-family avionics system, Helionix®, and a 4-axis autopilot system. For those already familiar with the Helionix-equipped H135 or H145, the transition to the larger H160 will be smooth.

The H160 comes with a shrouded Fenestron® tail rotor, which provides the highest safety standards in flight and on the ground (e.g. for ground handling and personnel).

The H160’s innovative design leads to the lowest external sound levels within its class, making it the ideal aircraft for urban environments.

EMS operations in countries with large, sparsely populated areas require helicopters with a high payload and long range. For these missions, the wide-body H155 and the H175 offer the perfect match between a small footprint for helipads, a large cabin, and a smooth ride at high speeds.

The H155 offers outstanding cabin space that boosts patient care and accommodates bulky medical equipment. This aircraft comes with a glass cockpit and the unique Airbus dual digital 4-axis autopilot, which maximises the pilot’s effectiveness.

Airbus’ new-generation H175 is suited for intensive care transport and medical evacuation, thanks to its large cabin size, airborne endurance, range and useful load.

For niche operators who require the most rugged option available, the Super Puma family (H215 and H225) can be equipped with six stretchers for civilian EMS duties and up to 11 stretchers in its military version for casualty evacuation. It is also proposed in a Helicopter Intensive Care Medical Service (HICAMS) configuration.

Private and public organisations rely on this workhorse for their operations over land and offshore in the harshest weather conditions, including search and rescue missions and disaster relief.

Of the over 2,500 helicopters in service worldwide for EMS missions, around 1,250 of them are in North America.

Operators of the H125, H130, H135, H145, AS365, and H155 range from the United States’ largest air medical transportation providers to regional and local hospitals.

The US Army utilises the H145 in its UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter for medevac (medical evacuation) missions.

The H135 is China’s first rotorcraft dedicated to emergency medical missions. Two H135s are used today by the Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Center – a Beijing Red Cross Foundation subsidiary – for various inter-hospital transfers in the country. The helicopters will be used during the winter Olympic games in Beijing in 2020.

To ensure a smooth and successful initiation of the country’s new EMS operations, Airbus trained the Chinese customer in coordination with leading European air rescue operators.