Sun, Dec 25, 2011
Second Of The Heavy-Lift Helos Slated For Delivery In 2013
The Tokyo Fire Department has ordered a second EC225 helicopter
to further expand its Eurocopter-built rotary-wing fleet, which
already has seen significant operational service in Japan –
including rescue and recovery efforts following the country’s
earthquake and tsunami in March.
File Photo
This latest order was placed after an open competition, and will
lead to delivery of the EC225 with a full complement of mission
equipment in 2013. The new contract extends Eurocopter’s long
relationship with the Tokyo Fire Department spanning 40 years
– starting from the company’s cornerstone Alouette III
rotary-wing aircraft and continuing today with the service’s
current fleet that consists of four Dauphin N3 helicopters in the
four-metric ton weight category, two Super Puma L1s in the nine-ton
category and one 11-ton EC225.
“The Tokyo Fire Department has always sought to acquire
helicopters with leading-edge capabilities, an illustration of
Japan’s strategy to equip its civil and government
organizations with the best systems for missions ranging from
fire-fighting to natural disaster response,” said Eurocopter
President & CEO Lutz Bertling. “The latest EC225
acquisition further acknowledges the Tokyo Fire Department’s
confidence in Eurocopter, and we stand ready to support it to the
fullest as continuing our relationship.”
Following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, helicopters from
the Tokyo Fire Department’s Tachikawa Air Squadron were
deployed to perform numerous rescue and logistics missions, and it
subsequently was granted funding to increase the fleet of large
rotary-wing aircraft – which proved their effectiveness in
times of large-scale disasters.
The new EC225 will be delivered with a full complement of
mission equipment, including a fire-fighting system with
belly-mounted water tank, an emergency medical interior
accommodating stretchers and emergency medical intervention kit,
along with avionics for all-weather operations and search &
rescue capabilities. It is expected to be assigned transport,
support and rescue missions throughout the Tokyo prefecture, which
covers an area from the Tokyo urban environment to the western
mountainous boundaries and the remote Hachijoma island in the
south. In addition to deploying from ground-based landing sites,
the helicopter will be using rooftop helipads in its operational
duties.
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