This new acquisition agreement - organized through the French DGA armament procurement agency - will provide an incremental expansion of the Gendarmerie's multi-role, twin-engine EC135 fleet, which is used for police and medical evacuation missions.
As Daniel Leimbacher, Chief of French "Groupement Central des Forces Aériennes de la Gendarmerie" said, « the capability to transmit images of the ground observed from the EC 135 is of paramount interest, as recently shown during the G8 summit, during which 4 EC 135 have logged more than 100 flying hours to protect the area".
"Eurocopter is dedicated to ensuring the French Gendarmerie - and other police forces around the world - obtain the highest reliability, optimum operational performance and best service with our helicopters," said Dominique Maudet, Eurocopter Executive Vice President Global Business & Services.
The EC135s ordered to date for the Gendarmerie are to strengthen its rotary-wing inventory, and eventually will replace the police force's single-engine Ecureuil helicopters, which have been operated since 1980.
Eurocopter's EC135 is a lightweight, twin-engine multi-mission helicopter that has become the rotary-wing aircraft of choice for emergency medical service and police missions. Designed with a high-set Fenestron tail rotor, the EC145 meets the most demanding European regulation for air ambulance operations in terms of safety.
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