Will Be Used In Offshore SAR Missions
Following the delivery of their first two EC225s in Search and
Rescue (SAR) configuration a month ago, these helicopters will be
launched into operation by the Japan Coast Guard today at the
Kansai International Airport. They will perform public service and
coastal surveillance missions as well as patrol Japan’s
territorial waters.
Since 1989, the Japan Coast Guard has used four AS332L1 Super
Pumas to carry out these missions. In 2007, one of these Super
Pumas rescued 44 people from a cargo ship in distress, under
extremely difficult weather conditions.
Eurocopter says the EC225 was designed from the outset for SAR
missions. It has a completely new five-bladed main rotor which
provides optimum lift, a maximum takeoff weight of 11 metric tons,
and extremely low vibration levels.
Its range can also be significantly increased through the
installation of auxiliary tanks to provide a total fuel capacity of
1180 kg... and because one is installed outside the fuselage and
the other at the rear of the cargo bay, these tanks do not reduce
the available cabin space, allowing the EC225 to rescue 10 people
at up to 300 nautical miles from the coast.
Another EC225 strong point is its autopilot, with advanced modes
specifically designed for SAR operations... including the ability
to hold a position above a ship at sea within a range of precision
of one meter. The EC225 is also the only aircraft in the world that
automatically controls engine failure, whether this occurs during
takeoff, cruising flight or even hoisting operations. All these
features are absolutely essential to flight safety and mission
success in the often extreme conditions faced by rescue crews at
sea.
The EC725, the military counterpart of the EC225, has been in
service with the French armed forces for close to three years. The
EC725 went straight into service in the Lebanon and Africa, and it
was also deployed in Afghanistan, where it showed off the full
range of its capabilities by successfully performing a combat SAR
operation at altitude.
In the civil domain, Eurocopter says the EC225 has become the
benchmark for offshore operations in just a few years. Norwegian
oil company Statoil chose the EC225 twice because of its
multipurpose capability to perform offshore SAR and transport
missions. For public service SAR missions, the EC225 has therefore
become the new reference on this market. The Rescue and Salvage
Bureau in China was the first operator to deploy the EC225 for this
kind of duty in December 2007.