Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma

In the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis, oil and gas companies began exploration and extraction activities farther offshore, thus creating a long-term need for more capable rotary aircraft. The development of the EC225, an updated version of the AS332 L2 Super Puma, was announced by Eurocopter in June 1998. The principal differences of the EC225 from the preceding AS332 L2 is the adoption of Spheriflex rotor technology, new Turbomeca Makila 2A turboshaft engines, along with a redesigned main gearbox to accommodate the rotor and engine changes. An integrated flight display system was added. Together these changes resulted in higher speeds and passenger comfort, as well as greater flight safety and reduced operating costs. In December 2015, the H225, a new designation used for the EC225, received certification from the Interstate Aviation Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States; this made the H225 the first foreign heavy-lift helicopter to become certified in Russia. In February 2014, Airbus Helicopters announced at Heli-Expo 2014 the development of an improved variant, the EC225e. The EC225e features numerous changes including new avionics systems, such as the TCAS II collision avoidance system, an automatic identification system, and a specialized rig-approach system; it was also intended to feature an improved Turbomeca Makila 2B engine to increase the EC225e's maximum takeoff weight by 550 kg, and an additional fuel tank in the rear baggage compartment to extend its range to 300 nautical miles with up to ten passengers on board. Some, but not all, modifications can be retrofitted onto existing EC225s. In the same announcement, in February 2014, Lease Corporation International said that they had placed a $645 million order for 15 EC225e (along with 6 Airbus Helicopters EC175) helicopters as the launch customer. In February 2016, the Makila 2B engine was dropped from the EC225e as a cost reduction measure, development of the other structural and avionics aspects is proceeding. In 2015, Airbus Helicopters announced at the Paris Air Show that it had begun development of a clean-sheet successor to the EC225, initially designated Airbus Helicopters X6, but development was stopped in early 2018. The EC225's production line is projected to continue manufacturing activity until at least 2030. ==Design==

, France, 2007 The H225 is based on the Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma, improving upon the design with a five-blade main rotor incorporating a new airfoil shape to reduce vibration and noise levels. H225 in flight, Kansai Airport Coast Guard Air Station, 2015 In terms of cockpit equipment and avionics, the H225 is equipped with a full glass cockpit with active-matrix liquid crystal displays; these include four 6-inch by 8-inch multi-functional displays as the predominant instrumentation for key flight information, two 4-inch by 5-inch monitors for displaying aircraft parameters, and a 3-inch screen for backup. While a single pilot is capable of controlling the aircraft under visual meteorical conditions, two pilots are used in a typical crew complement and, dependent on role, a cabin attendant or flight engineer may also be present. ==Operational history==

In January 2005, Algeria became the first country to use the H225 when the Algerian Ministerial Air Liaisons Group (GLAM) took delivery of a single helicopter for VIP transport duties. In 2009, the AirKnight consortium offered the H225 in competition against the Sikorsky S-92 offered by the Soteria Search and Rescue consortium for the United Kingdom's Search and Rescue – Helicopter (SAR-H) program to replace the RAF Search and Rescue Force's Westland Sea King fleet. In 2010, Soteria was awarded the contract; however, in 2011 the contract was halted as Soteria had had access to confidential information. In 2013, the Department for Transport awarded Bristow Group the SAR-H contract, operating a mix of Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW189. By 2011, CHC Helicopter had the largest operational fleet of H225s, the type comprising a fifth of the firm's total rotorcraft by 2015. CHC principally use the type for serving the offshore oil and gas industries, as well as search and rescue missions. In March 2013, leasing company Milestone Aviation Group placed a record order for 30 H225s. Due to its popularity in offshore passenger transport, the H225 is commonly used as an offshore search and rescue aircraft, with operators based in Norway, the UK and Australia. In this role, aircraft are typically equipped with a dual rescue hoist, FLIR camera, high-powered searchlights and an advanced autopilot with autohover capability. The H225 has also been used for aerial firefighting; it can be equipped with a Simplex Aerospace-developed water cannon for dealing with fires in built-up urban areas. Both Japan and South Korea operate several aircraft so adapted. Following a 22 October 2012 crash, the major North Sea Super Puma operators, CHC Helicopter, Bond Offshore Helicopters and Bristow Helicopters decided to ground all AS332 and H225 Super Puma helicopters. On 25 October 2012 it was announced that the problem was suspected to relate to the main gearbox vertical shaft; the AS 332 L1 and L2 versions of the Super Puma could be refitted with an older design, allowing them to resume flying. On 8 November 2012 some Super Pumas of Bond Offshore Helicopters returned to flight. The H225 grounding continued into 2013. Following the validation of new safety measures by the EASA, the type was progressively returned to service following modifications. By mid-2015, all 49 H225s operating in the North Sea fleets in the UK had been retrofitted with a redesigned bevel wheel vertical shaft to prevent a recurrence. In March 2015, the Japan Coast Guard accepted delivery of its fifth and final H225. They were outfitted for search and rescue, but would also be used for security enforcement, territorial sea enforcement/monitoring and disaster relief operations. The H225 was a candidate for the Norwegian All Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) to replace the Westland Sea King Mk.43B of the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 2015; other candidates were the AgustaWestland AW101, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, NHIndustries NH90 and Sikorsky S-92. By 9 July 2013, only the AW101 and the H225 remained as contenders; in December 2013, the AW101 was selected. On 2 June 2016, following the crash of an H225 in Norway which revealed a potential safety issue with the main rotor assembly, the EASA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded the H225 fleet; by July 2016, 80 per cent of the worldwide fleet had been grounded, while some operators such as the French military continued to operate the type. In October 2016, the grounding order by the EASA was lifted; some countries, including the United Kingdom and Norway, maintained operational restrictions for the type. Norwegian operator Statoil, which had contracted the CHC H225 which crashed, said that it would not continue using the helicopter even if restrictions were lifted, using the Sikorsky S-92 instead. By December 2016, three lawsuits were filed by H225 operators, claiming that the type had been sold in a defective state due to the flaw being "inherent". ==Variants==

;EC225 LP :An improved variant of the AS332 L2. ;EC225 Firefighting :EC225 fitted with internal tanks for water bombing ;EC225 SAR :EC225 with FLIR, auto hover & dual electric winches for all-weather search & rescue operations. ;EC225e :A version with the newer Turbomeca Makila 2B turboshaft engine. ==Operators==

The H225 Super Puma is used for offshore drilling, corporate companies, law enforcement and governments. Military operators H225LP at Sumburgh Airport ; • Argentine Naval Prefecture ; • Botswana Defence Force ; • French Naval Aviation ;; • Icelandic Coast Guard — received 2 H225s in 2019 and 1 in 2021. ; • Ministry of Defense • Japan Coast Guard '''''' • CTG Kurdistan ; • Mexican Air Force ; • Republic of Singapore Air Force ; • Republic of China Air Force ; • Ukrainian Air Guard ; • Vietnam People's Navy • Citic Offshore Helicopter Co. • Guangdong Public Security Bureau ; • Air Greenland ; • Westair Helicopters — received 1 H225 in 2025 and 2 expected additional units. ; • Tokyo Fire Department (2 on order) ; • MHS Aviation ; • CHC Helikopter Service • Bristow Norway ; • Spanish Maritime Safety Agency ; • Ministry of Internal Affairs (21 on order), deliveries started in December 2018. ; • Babcock Mission Critical Services Offshore Ltd. • Bristow Helicopters '''''' • Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company ==Accidents and incidents==

• 18 February 2009: G-REDU, an EC225 LP operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters. During a night visual approach to the ETAP platform, the helicopter descended and impacted the surface of the sea. The crew's perception of the helicopter's position and orientation relative to the platform during the final approach was erroneous. All 18 people on board survived the controlled flight into terrain (water). • 10 May 2012: G-REDW, an EC225 LP, carried out a controlled ditching following indications of a failure of the main gearbox (MGB) lubrication system and a subsequent failure indication warning on the emergency lubrication system. An investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) identified a 360° circumferential crack in the bevel gear vertical shaft in the main gearbox, in the vicinity of a manufacturing weld, causing disengagement of the drive to both mechanical oil pumps. • 22 October 2012: G-CHCN, an EC225 LP of CHC Scotia, ditched in the North Sea 32 miles south west of Shetland whilst en route from Aberdeen to the West Phoenix drilling rig. All 19 on board were rescued. A special bulletin issued by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the main and standby oil pumps were not working; a 360-degree crack found on the bevel gear vertical shaft of the gearbox had prevented the oil pump gears from being driven. A worldwide grounding of the type was initiated in response. In both of the 2012 incidents, although the main gearbox lubrication system had failed, the backup system was working correctly but displaying an erroneous warning light, due to an incorrect specification of a pressure switch, which led to the helicopters being ditched. • 29 April 2016: LN-OJF, an EC225 LP of CHC Helikopter Service, crashed at an islet near Turøy in the Bergen archipelago, en route to Bergen Airport, Flesland, from the Gullfaks B platform in the North Sea. The helicopter was carrying 11 passengers and 2 crew members; everyone on board died. Eyewitnesses reported that the main rotor separated from the hull immediately before the crash. Due to the crash, all commercial flights by EC225 helicopters, excluding search and rescue flights, were grounded by both Norwegian and British civil aviation authorities. The subsequent investigation concluded that a gear in the main rotor gearbox had failed due to a fatigue crack that had propagated under-surface, escaping detection. As a result of the incident the German Defence Ministry had also decided to ground 3 AS532 Helicopter in government use which were manufactured by the same company. • 18 January 2023: an EC225 carrying the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Denys Monastyrsky, his deputy Yevhen Yenin and state secretary Yurii Lubkovych, crashed at a kindergarten in Brovary, a suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine. The crash killed 14 people, including Monastyrsky, Yenin and Lubkovych; a child was also among the fatalities, while 25 others were injured. ==Specifications (H225)==