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Helicopter's news.

Orders abound in Dallas.
The large number of contract
announcements made during Heli-Expo
2017 suggests cautious optimism is
returning to the civil helicopter market.
The headline announcement was a
€200 million firm order from leasing
company Milestone Aviation for various
Airbus Helicopters aircraft, including the
H135, H145 and H175 models. The
company will integrate these into its
current fleet of over 60 Airbus aircraft
and will deploy them in EMS and
parapublic roles.
Waypoint Leasing committed to an
additional 16 Airbus helicopters, including
the H135 and H145. It also added the
H175 to its order book for the first time.
Leonardo announced at the exhibition
that its presence in Japan was expanding,
with the introduction of the AW139 into
the country’s corporate market. A private
customer signed a contract for the
aircraft, which is expected to be handed
over later this year. This brings the order
total for the region to nearly 160 units.
In addition, the AW139 has been
delivered by Lease Corporation
International to support Heli-Union’s
growing activities in Asia.
Six of the type contribute to a €90
million order placed by Milestone Aviation,
who expect to accept the AW139s over the
next two years. The contract also includes
three AW169s.
One landmark sale was the contract
signature for the 200th Cabri G2 helicopter
by Hélicoptères Guimbal to UK distributor
Heli-Group.
In addition to launching the FCX-001,
Bell Helicopter also commemorated a
milestone at the show, as the first delivery
of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X was received
by private operator Scott Urschel, owner of
Pylon Aviation.
The signing of a purchase agreement for
two Bell 429s by Nakanihon Air Service was
announced at the show. The rotorcraft will
be delivered by the end of 2017 for use in
HEMS operations.
An additional order placed in Dallas will
see the same platform received in 2017
by the Arizona Department of Safety
Aviation Bureau for SAR, law enforcement
and border protection applications.
RH can also confirm that a second Bell
407HP conversion will be delivered
imminently to Helicopter Express, the
latest customer for Eagle Copters. So far,
Honeywell – provider of the HTS900
engine – and Eagle have modified eight
aircraft, with more in the pipeline.
In terms of technology, Trakka Systems
announced two new customers for its
TrakkaBeam A800 tactical searchlight:
the Italian Navy and the German DRF
Luftrettung air rescue service.
Finally, Elbit Systems showcased its
Heli-ClearVision EFVS suite – technology
which will be fitted on Leonardo’s
commercial helicopters, according to a
long-term agreement that was signed by
the two companies at the show.
By Georgina Smith, Dallas.