The Swiss Air Rescue Service Rega has ordered a second batch of twelve Airbus H145 helicopters. The H145s will replace Rega’s current fleet of AW109SPs and will operate from the company’s fourteen HEMS mountain bases. This new order follows an initial contract for nine H145s announced last March. By 2026, Rega will operate an all-Airbus fleet consisting of twenty-one five-bladed H145s.

“To effectively operate life- saving air rescue services in Switzerland, we understand that the ability to perform optimally at altitude is paramount,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “The five-bladed H145 landed on the Aconcagua in Argentina, a mountain that is nearly 7,000 metres high – no other twin-engine helicopter has ever achieved this feat.”

The new helicopters come equipped with a highly redundant navigation platform, which relies on the Garmin GTN750 Xi. This can integrate and control a multi-sensor system which, even in the event of GPS signal loss, can still provide precise guidance as it features Thales’ inertial navigation sensors.

PHOTO: AIRBUS