Airbus H145: specifications, range, cabin

The Airbus H145 is a light twin-engine helicopter for nine passengers with a range of about 650 kilometres. It is the flagship of the light segment at Airbus Helicopters and a world standard in air ambulance, police and mountain rescue work. Here are the book figures, how they behave on a real flight, and the difference between the D-2 and D-3 versions that listings keep confusing.

Main specifications

Manufacturer and catalogue data. The figures for a particular aircraft come from its flight manual: equipment and modifications change the weights, and with them the range and the useful load.

Full specifications and sourcing are on the H145 model card in the catalogue.

Where the type comes from

The H145 traces its line to the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117, a joint German-Japanese machine. The modern H145 combined the forward section of the EC135 with the power layout of the BK 117, and gained a fenestron and Arriel 2E engines with digital control.

That is the source of the confusion in listings. One family name on the used market covers aircraft of different generations: early BK 117 series, the EC145 (BK117 C-2), the EC145 T2 and the H145 itself. Between them sit different rotors, different engines, a different cabin and a price spread of several times over.

The practical consequence: ask for the type designation in BK117 form with the index, and check it against the records. That designation identifies the generation without ambiguity.

How 650 km behaves in service

The book 650 kilometres are calculated under reference conditions. In service the figure comes down, and four things bring it down.

Fuel reserve. Part of the load goes to the alternate site and the remaining minimum under the rules. That part stays in the tanks and does nothing for range.

Payload. Nine passengers with baggage sit at the top of the weight range. Every kilogram above the reference load takes fuel with it.

Wind. A headwind eats a noticeable share of the range, and in winter in the north that share grows.

Departure site. Elevation and heat limit the takeoff weight, and with it the fuel on board.

The leg is worked out from the reference passenger weight — 90 kilograms per person. In my experience at altitude that figure is what decides the departure: when you are over weight the choice is short — fewer passengers, less fuel, or two trips.

With reserve and a full load the working leg of the H145 comes to about 550 kilometres.

The aircraft does not cover a 700-kilometre route without refuelling: pure flight time here is around two hours fifty-five minutes, and there is no margin left for the reserve. The working radius from base with a return and no refuelling is half of that 550-kilometre leg.

A cabin for nine

Cabin volume is 6.0 cubic metres. That is the upper part of the light class: nine passengers with two pilots, a flat floor, sliding side doors and clamshell doors at the rear.

Those rear doors are the reason the type ended up in air ambulance and offshore work. A stretcher module goes into the cabin through them whole, and on civil tasks so does long cargo that will not pass through a side door.

The layout decides almost everything on this aircraft. The medical version carries a medical module and oxygen, the police version an operator console and provision for underslung equipment, the corporate ACH145 an ACH-line cabin whose seat count is set by the interior design. Converting from one layout to another means work plus re-issued documentation, and in money terms that is a separate budget line.

Exact passenger cabin dimensions depend on version and equipment: take them from the flight manual of the particular aircraft and check them against the dimensions of whatever you intend to put inside.

Engines, fenestron and flight deck

Two Safran Arriel 2E at 775 kW each. The Arriel family has been on light helicopters for decades: the service network is broad and the life-limit statistics have accumulated. Control is digital, and the FADEC takes part of the power management away from the pilot.

A fenestron in place of an open tail rotor gives quiet on approach and in the hover, and that settles the question of access to sites inside a city. The second effect is ground crew safety: the blades sit inside a ducted ring.

The Helionix avionics suite brings together the flight displays, the autopilot and the aircraft health monitoring system. The autopilot reduces pilot workload in instrument conditions and holds the hover.

D-2 against D-3: five blades and 150 kilograms

In June 2020 EASA certified the H145 D3 with a five-blade bearingless main rotor in place of the four-blade unit.

One hundred and fifty kilograms of useful load in the light class means two passengers or an additional fuel reserve. On air ambulance and offshore work that increment covers the difference between going and leaving equipment on the ground.

Lower vibration works on airframe life and on comfort in a corporate layout, and the bearingless hub is simpler to maintain. For a buyer the difference between D-2 and D-3 shows up both in price and in how quickly the aircraft sells.

Versions and configurations

H145 (BK117 D-2) — the four-blade version with Helionix and a fenestron, built 2014–2020. H145 D3 (BK117 D-3) — the current version with the five-blade rotor. ACH145 — the corporate version of the ACH line. ACH145 Mercedes-Benz Style — a VIP cabin developed together with the Mercedes-Benz design studio. H145M — the military version with armour protection, self-sealing tanks and the HForce weapons system, delivered to around ten countries.

Special configurations: air ambulance, search and rescue, police, offshore, firefighting.

The H145 among its neighbours

On capacity the H145 stands two seats above the H135 and the Bell 429, and on speed it gives way to both. On range it loses to the AW169 and the H160, which sit a class above it in money as well.

The type is chosen for the combination of nine seats, rear clamshell doors and access to city sites. Tasks where speed or a leg beyond 800 kilometres decides go to the neighbours: the H135, the Bell 429, the AW169.

What to look at on a particular aircraft

The type designation in the records: BK117 C-2, D-2 or D-3. Airframe time in hours and in cycles separately.

Time remaining to the next removal on each of the two engines, the condition of the transmission and the main rotor hub, and the remaining life on components with assigned limits.

The layout: air ambulance, police, corporate. The scope of work and paperwork to convert it to your task.

The avionics fit, the calendar inspections already carried out and the next one due, and the status of the engine programmes.

Registration and recognition of work. An aircraft on a foreign registration adds a separate item to the checklist: whether the maintenance work performed under it is recognised in the target registry. The current standing of the type in the registry you need is confirmed by a registry extract before a deposit.

Conclusion

The H145 covers tasks that need nine seats, access to sites inside a city and loading through the rear clamshell doors. The book 650 kilometres, with reserve and payload, give a working leg of about 550 kilometres; with a return to base and no refuelling the radius is half that.

The D-3 version adds 150 kilograms of useful load and reduces vibration. The difference between generations in the family is checked against the records before any conversation about price.

The figures in this article are the type's book data; the specifics are calculated for the particular aircraft. Price ranges across light and medium helicopters are covered in how much it costs to buy a helicopter, and the structure of the flight hour in the breakdown of helicopter flight hour cost.

Alexander Filimonov — business aviation: sourcing, purchase and entry into service of aircraft.

We will work out the real leg for your route network and source an aircraft with margin on range and on sites: https://grok.flights/en/buy.html