Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece for the acquisition of eight H215 helicopters (with an additional aircraft option) to support the fight against forest fires in the country, after a tender carried out by the Growthfund project preparation fund (national Fund of Greece) on behalf of the Ministry.
This contract It has the support of two European funds and is part of the AEGIS program of the Ministry, whose objective is to improve the capacities of the Civil Protection forces. The contract will be based on a “public contractor” model (GO-CO), in which Airbus Helicopters will be associated with experienced fire extinguishing operators, Arettelis and SAF Hellicoptères, for technical and operational support.
“The signing of the contract for the acquisition of new H215 helicopters represents an important step in our efforts to mitigate the devastating consequences of the climatic crisis in our country,” said Paniotis Stampoulidis, deputy general director of Growthfund, about the importance of the project. “This It is the largest contract signed within the framework of the National Program ‘Aegis’ To reinforce the civil protection mechanism in Greece with modern teams, and we are pleased that the Growthfund project preparation center has completed this tender quickly, transparency and efficiency. ”
“In recent years, Forest fires have burned an average of three to five million square kilometers worldwide, with important environmental consequences. It is an honor to have been selected to support fire fighting, with our H215 helicopters, that Greek communities face every year, ”said Bruno Even, general director of Airbus Helicopters.
“The H215 is used worldwide in fire extinguishing missions thanks to its ability to throw more than four tons of water at the same time. Trusting experienced operators, such as Airtelis and Saf Aeroup, is precisely what the French civile securité does. Airbus Helicopters has been a long -standing helicopter supplier for essential missions in the country And, together with our Go-Co partners, we are sure that H215 will be a vital and reliable resource, ”he added.
SAF Aerogoup specializes in complex helicopter operations, such as mountain rescue, aeromédica services, fire extinguishing and humanitarian and logistics missions, as evidence Government and international.
Likewise, Airtelis, a French operator based in southern France and with more than 60 years of experience from its parent company, RTE, has expanded its approach beyond support for the electricity grid to include emergency response, in particular fire extinguishing, for a wider range of national and international clients.
Airbus Helicopters has been a long -term partner in Greece since the early 2000s, both in the civil, parapublic and military sectors. The Greece Fire Department operates two Super Pumas and the Hellenic Air Force Opera 12. The Super Pumas ecosystem in the country will benefit from the support activities and the formation of technicians and pilots provided for in the contract.
The H215 is a multifunction helicopter of the Super Puma family, with more than 1,100 helicopters delivered and more than six million flight hours. The H215 is equipped with the renowned four -axles autopilot of the H225, which allows to carry out fire extinction activities both at night and day. It is displayed worldwide in fire extinguishing missions thanks to its reach of approximately 1,000 kilometers, its upper autonomy of more than two hours and its Ability to transport 19 firefighters. Being one of the few heavy helicopters in production with civil certification, and being able to equip with a water tank or a ventral tank, it is the ideal complement for fire extinction resources in any country.
