Nepal Army (NA) received new Airbus H125 (previously named AS350B3e) as the chopper landed Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) today at 3:52 pm local time. It arrived with foreign registration’F-WTCO’ however, it has already been registered as ‘NA-055’.
The helicopter which features Garmin G500H glass cockpit flew from Airbus Helicopter Southeast Asia, Singapore and landed Nepal via transiting in Surat Thani of Thailand, Yangon in Myanmar, and Dhaka in Bangladesh following Biratnagar in Eastern Nepal as a planned air-route for Ferry Flight.
Garmin G500H glass cockpit
Earlier a representative team on the behalf of Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Rajendra Chhetri and Airbus Helicopter had signed the MOU for the procurement of 6 seater Écureuil H125 Helicopter. For the last two years, the army is under discussion into helicopter purchase with the company. The army is also discussing with the other companies to buy more two helicopters.
As per Airbus Company, the H125 outclasses all other single-engine helicopters for performance, versatility, low maintenance, and low acquisition costs, while excelling in high and hot and extreme environments. It is a member of Airbus’ Ecureuil family, which has accumulated more than 32 million flight hours worldwide.
The H125 series are currently in-service worldwide and are mainly used for high-performance missions in high & hot environmental conditions. “The H125 is a member of Airbus Helicopters’ rugged and proven Ecureuil family and some 6,000 Ecureuils have been delivered in nearly 120 countries for some 1,800 operators.”
The H125 has broken world records throughout its career. In 2005, the AS350 B3 broke the world record for the highest-altitude landing and takeoff, performed on Mount Everest at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), a title still held today. On 19 May 2013, the AS350 B3 performed the world’s highest long-line rescue operation on Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain, located in the Himalayas, at 7,800 meters (25,590 feet). So, this type of helicopter has proved to be prominent for the rescue, evacuation and emergency operations in Nepal which is the prime responsibility of Nepalese Army.
