Airbus Helicopters and Babcock have secured a contract to provide support for the 48 EC145 helicopters operated by the French Ministry of Interior. The 12-year agreement, commencing this year, was signed with the Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé), responsible for aircraft maintenance within the French government.
Romain Trapp, Airbus Helicopters’ Executive Vice President Customer Support and Services, expressed pride in the partnership, stating, “The Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie Nationale play a pivotal role in ensuring community safety in France. We are honored to have signed this contract, a testament to their trust in us and a reinforcement of our partnership.” Trapp emphasised Airbus Helicopters’ commitment to maintaining the availability of the EC145 fleet round-the-clock for critical missions.
The contract encompasses support for the 33 EC145s utilised by the Sécurité Civile and the 15 EC145s operated by the Gendarmerie air forces, stationed across 41 bases in France, including five bases in French overseas territories. Services provided include technical support, spare parts supply, logistics solutions, technical data management, and software support.
Airbus Helicopters and Babcock will ensure the readiness of the Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie EC145s for their vital missions serving the French populace, including search and rescue, emergency medical services, fire fighting, and law enforcement operations conducted by the Gendarmerie.
Furthermore, Airbus is committed to modernising the Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie’s helicopter fleets. Sécurité Civile has already incorporated four new H145s ordered in 2021, with support from Airbus Helicopters and Babcock. Additionally, a contract for 42 H145s for the French Ministry of Interior (36 for the Sécurité Civile and six for the Gendarmerie) was signed in late 2023, with aircraft deliveries scheduled to commence in 2024.
