H135
ICAO EC35A light twin used for training, policing and air ambulance work across Europe. Live H135 and EC135 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30sAirframe
- Manufacturer
- Airbus Helicopters
- Role
- Light utility and training helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 1 to 2
- First flight
- 15 February 1994
- In service
- 1996
Operators airborne
About the H135
The H135, still widely called the EC135, is one of the most common light twin-engine helicopters in the world, and most of what appears here is doing state rather than strictly military work: Spanish Guardia Civil patrols, Swiss and Brazilian air force liaison, police and air ambulance flights.
Its military role is mostly training. Britain uses it as the Juno HT1 to teach helicopter pilots, and several other air forces do the same, because it is cheap to run and has the two engines a training syllabus wants.
Like all light helicopters it is poorly served by ADS-B coverage, flying low and locally. Expect a handful at most.
Callsign prefixes
- GUARDIA
- Spanish Guardia Civil
- RESCUE
- Air ambulance and rescue tasking
How to recognise it
- —Small, with a shrouded fenestron tail rotor and a bulbous glazed nose.
- —High-set engines behind the cabin and a wide sliding door on each side.
- —Skids rather than wheels on most examples.
Common questions
+ Is the H135 the same as the EC135?
Yes. Airbus renamed the Eurocopter product line in 2015, so the EC135 became the H135. Older aircraft are still commonly called by the old name and both report as EC35.
+ Why do police and ambulance helicopters appear on a military site?
The feed includes state-operated aircraft as well as armed forces. Gendarmerie, Guardia Civil and similar organisations are carried in it, and they fly the same airframes.
+ What is the Juno HT1?
The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy designation for their H135 training helicopters, used at RAF Shawbury to teach basic rotary flying.