Rotorcraft · ICAO EC45

Airbus Helicopters EC145

The Airbus Helicopters H145 (originally marketed as the EC145) is a light twin-engine helicopter widely used for emergency medical services, police work, and corporate transport. A later upgrade replaced its original four-blade main rotor with a new five-blade design borrowed from the larger H135, improving smoothness and payload without needing a completely new airframe. Built jointly with Kawasaki in Japan under this designation, it's flown by operators across both Europe and Asia. Its combination of speed, cabin space, and twin-engine safety has made it one of the most common helicopters in the emergency services role worldwide.

Airbus Helicopters EC145, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Al*from*Lig · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The H145 gained a five-blade main rotor borrowed from the smaller H135, becoming a mainstay of air-ambulance and police fleets.

Specifications

Length13 m (43 ft)
Height4 m (13 ft)
Rotor diameter11 m (36 ft)
Maximum passengers9
Persons on board13
Maximum take-off weight3.6 t
Range350 NM (648 km)
Maximum speed148 kt (274 km/h)
Service ceiling17,000 ft (5,182 m)
Optimum ceiling8,000 ft (2,438 m)
Rate of climb1,600 ft/min (8.1 m/s)
Fuel capacity760 l
Engines2x Turbomeca Arriel 1E2
Units built2,150

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Airbus Helicopters EC145 starts as a Common catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Airbus Helicopters, the EC145 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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