Erickson recently completed the first flight of its Airbus H225 Super Puma, which will provide the operator’s customers with new advanced avionics, increased payload and increase range for various missions.
“This aircraft is an investment in our business and a commitment to our customers to bring superb performance to their growing requirements,” Kevin S. Cochie, vice president and general manager of Erickson Defense and National Security, said in a statement.
Erickson has a long legacy of serving the Department of Defense and we are ecstatic to add this platform to our complement of rotary wing and fixed wing platforms serving our nation around the globe.”
The H225 aircraft are new to Erickson, but were purchased on the aftermarket and configured to support the company’s mission profile, according to an Erickson spokesperson. Erickson is upgrading its existing fleet of SA330J Pumas to the Super Puma, which “is an important part of the operational diversity Erickson offers to our DoD and commercial customers alike,” the spokesperson told sister publication Rotor&Wing.
“We provide commercial aircraft and crews to augment DoD requirements that cannot be satisfied with DoD’s organic fleet of helicopters. Erickson works with our customers to deploy aircraft ideal for their mission requirements. The H225 is an important asset for supporting the U.S. Navy and others. We will continue to grow our fleet at the requirement of the customers we support.”
In October 2018, Erickson was awarded a $28.5 million contract to provide dedicated helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft support to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The contract carries options for three additional years of aviation support.
Erickson is upgrading its fleet of helicopters configured for U.S. Department of Defense-contracted missions. They will join an existing fleet of Bell [TXT] 214ST, 212 and 412 medium twin helicopters, Textron [TXT]1900D and EADS CASA 212 fixed-wing aircraft.
“The Super Puma’s lift performance combined with an advanced flight management system will bring great capability to Erickson and the Department of Defense,” the company said. “As Erickson continues to innovate and expand their solutions, this is the first announcement of many, for how they plan to service the defense vertical.”