Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior of Bahrain, for the purchase of nine H-145 helicopters. These aircraft will be operated by the Police Aviation Command for law enforcement missions and emergency medical services in the Kingdom.

The new version of Airbus light twin-engine helicopter adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission aircraft, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150kg. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design also eases maintenance operations, further improving the benchmark serviceability and reliability of the model, while improving ride comfort for both passengers and crew.

In total, there are more than 1,700 H-145 family aircraft in service, logging a total of eight million flight hours. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the helicopter is equipped with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes it the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are reduced.