Sécurité Civile celebrates 50,000 EC145 Flight Hours and the 50th Anniversary of their helicopter squadron

The Helicopter Group of the French Defense and Civil Guard’s EC145 fleet comprising 30 aircraft has clocked up 50,000 flight hours since the delivery of the first helicopter in April 2002. The achievement was commemorated in a ceremony at Eurocopter’s Static Display at the Paris Air Show in front of an EC145 proudly bearing the colors of the Sécurité Civile. The organization is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of their helicopter squadron.

Since the first helicopters began entering service, a close cooperative effort has been established between Eurocopter, the aeronautics program department of the French armament procurement agency (DGA/UMHELI), and the Sécurité Civile. For several months at the beginning of the EC145’s service life with Sécurité Civile, engineers and technicians from Eurocopter and the government Flight Test Center (CEV) have provided assistance to the pilots, notably with the helicopter’s mountain tests. In fact, 26% of the emergency missions performed by the Sécurité Civile are mountain and high-mountain rescues. The Sécurité Civile also performs sea rescues, fire-fighting missions, patrol operations, and emergency medical transport.

Over the past five years, the EC145 has proved to be an excellent platform for such a wide range of missions: Its availability rate equals that of the aircraft from the former fleet, its cabin volume is four times greater than that of the Alouette III helicopters which were replaced by the EC145. Moreover, the EC145 can be used to perform flights in poor weather conditions, both day and night, which clearly offers a decisive advantage considering the Sécurité Civile’s operating environment. The helicopters are equipped with loudspeakers, an emergency flotation system, and a hoist that can carry up to 270 kg. Some of the EC145s also have a searchlight.

Taking its latest technology into account, the EC145 guarantees operational readiness on a long-term basis, as the teams from Eurocopter and the Sécurité Civile continuously work together to maintain the fleet of EC145 at highest technical levels to ensure that their missions are performed with ever greater effectiveness.

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30% percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 17 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 9,800 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.

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