Airbus delivers first H135 to RCAF

UKMFTS Airbus H135 Juno training helicopter at RIAT 2024. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Airbus announced on 17 June it completed the delivery of the first H135 helicopter designated for Canada's Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme.

The aircraft, designated the CT-153 Juno, will be used to support training of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots.

The twin-engine training platform is equipped with Airbus' Helionix avionics suite and was selected by FAcT's prime contractor SkyAlyne, to meet the RCAF's training requirements.

It was completed and delivered from Airbus Helicopters' Fort Erie industrial factory in Ontario, Canada. The H135s are customised with avionics suite, cockpit, and communications systems modifications.

Kevin Lemke, general manager of SkyAlyne, said it took 18 months to bring the first H135 to the RCAF, calling it a “core component” of the collaborative drive between industry, the armed forces, and government to modernise and train the RCAF's rotary-wing pilots.

The aircraft will train pilots on core piloting skills like “basic ab-initio, advanced IFR, and tactical training”, according to Airbus.

Airbus' Helionix avionics suite will support “seamless” transition to larger, more complex aircraft, the company said in a press release.

Dwayne Charette, president of Airbus Helicopters in Canada, said the delivery “underscores our long-term commitment to supporting Canadian defence with trusted, in-country expertise” , mirrored by the country's pivot to a strategy of awarding 70% of defence contracts to Canadian firms by 2035.

The delivery of the H135, which is part of a family of over 1,600 aircraft delivered to more than 325 operators worldwide, will add the RCAF to a cadre of 12 other nations using the platform in their pilot training.