Airbus Helicopters has selected the Pratt & Whitney [UTX] PW206B3 engine to power its twin-engine H135 IFR-certified helicopter, which the company is offering as the U.S. Navy’s replacement trainer.
“In partnership with Pratt & Whitney, Airbus is offering the Navy an enhanced training capability that will provide future naval aviators with the most realistic training available to prepare them for the fleet operations they will perform in more advanced aircraft,” said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters.
“We are proud to power the Airbus H135 proposal in support of the U.S. Navy Advanced Helicopter Training System,” said Maria Della Posta, senior vice president of Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The service plans to retire its fleet of legacy TH-57B/C Sea Rangers by 2023 and issued a final request for proposals in January. Proposals will likely come from Airbus with the H135, Leonardo with its single-engine TH119 and Bell [TXT] — the manufacturer of the Sea Ranger — with the single-engine 407GXi.
Airbus’ H135 is currently used by 10 military services in nine nations for initial and advanced rotary-wing pilot training.