The ADAC Luftrettung air rescue provider has received the 1,500th H135 helicopter from Airbus Helicopters.
The helicopter manufacturer handed over the anniversary model to the non-profit company in Donauwörth Aug. 30, 2023. At the ceremony, the managing director of ADAC Luftrettung gGmbH Frédéric Bruder, said: “With the investment in the latest version of the H135, we are once again increasing the quality of care and flight safety and are also pioneers in Germany with innovative retrofits solving proactively is the core of our mission.”
“We are pleased to celebrate another important milestone in the more than 50-year partnership. We are proud of the cooperation and that we support ADAC Luftrettung with our helicopters and services in their important mission: saving lives,” said Stefan Thomé, the managing director of Airbus Helicopters in Germany.
Better patient care and more safety
The new helicopter and another machine of this type purchased by ADAC Luftrettung are the first rescue helicopters in Germany to be fitted with the special “Kokon” interior paneling from the partner development and maintenance company HeliAir.
This enables flexible attachment of the medical equipment to the walls and ceiling of the ADAC rescue helicopter. The ventilator, defibrillator, patient monitor and oxygen cylinders can be placed exactly where they are needed for the most efficient treatment of the patient.
ADAC Luftrettung has equipped its new H135 version machines, two of which are already in use, with the specially developed LS400 LED headlight system. This consists of two fold-out landing and searchlights that can be swiveled separately and have different light modes.
In this way, the pilot and a crew member trained to use night vision devices can better adapt the lighting to the conditions and take off or land more safely.
To use wireless Internet at 4G/LTE speeds, ADAC Luftrettung has installed special Flightcell Wi-Fi routers in the cockpit. These can access several cell phone providers at the same time and provide the crews with a stable Wi-Fi signal. In this way, the emergency doctor can coordinate further treatment at an early stage via the Internet telephone or send important patient data to the clinic in advance.
Further advantages
In addition to the retrofits, standard features and functions of the latest H135 generation increase the safety of patients and crews: The “Cable Cutter” system is intended to ensure that the helicopter cannot get caught in a high-voltage or telephone line during low-level flight.
Before a collision occurs, sword-shaped “cable deflectors” on headlights, windshield wipers and skids are designed to push aside or cut the cables.
The machines also have a glass cockpit for a better overview when navigating and a modern control system with four-axis autopilot, which is intended to reduce the pilot’s workload.
Two cameras in the rear area also provide a better overview, expanding the crew’s field of vision. One of these is on the boom and points forward, the other on the landing gear and points backwards or down. In this way, obstacles such as a pole or traffic sign are better seen in order to select a suitable landing site.
H135 fleet
The H135 is the rescue helicopter most frequently used in German air rescue. ADAC Luftrettung first acquired an H135 in 1996. In 2011, the Flying Yellow Angels got the 1,000the Airbus Helicopters H135 aircraft.
Including the two new H135s (numbers 1,499 and 1,500 from Airbus Helicopters), ADAC Luftrettung now has 39 H135/EC135 aircraft in its fleet.
The new arrivals are to be stationed at the air rescue stations “Christoph 25” in Siegen and “Christoph 15” in Straubing from the beginning of 2024. The two existing machines of the new type will be used in Zwickau and Dinkelsbühl.
This press release was prepared and distributed by ADAC Luftrettung and translated using an online service.
