Eurocopter EC-135
| EC135 / H135 | |
|---|---|
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| An EC135T used by Avon and Somerset Constabulary | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer |
Eurocopter Airbus Helicopters |
| First flight | 15 February 1994 |
| Introduction | 1996 |
| Status | In service |
| Produced | 1995–present |
| Number built | over 1220 (2016) |
| Developed from | MBB Bo 105 |
| Variants | Eurocopter EC635 |
 An EC135 Landing on a yacht
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Pair of medical EC135s in formation flight
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EC135 P-2+ performing a flight demonstration
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The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with digital flight controls. It entered service in 1996; over a thousand aircraft have been produced to date. It is widely used by police and ambulance services and for executive transport; by 2013, more than 500 EC135s were providing helicopter emergency medical services across the world. While the EC135 is primarily used by civil operators, a combat-capable military-orientated variant of the EC135, designated as the Eurocopter EC635, has also been produced.
The EC135 started development prior to the formation of Eurocopter under Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) under the designation Bo 108 in the 1970s. MBB developed it in partnership with Aérospatiale, the Bo 108 was initially intended to be a technology demonstrator, combining attributes of the successful MBB Bo 105 with new advances and an aerodynamically streamlined design. Technologies included on the Bo 108 included the first full-authority digital engine controls (FADEC) on a helicopter, a hingeless main rotor, and the adoption of a new transmission. The first prototype made its first flight on 17 October 1988, powered by two Allison 250-C20R/1 engines. A second Bo 108 followed on 5 June 1991, this time with two Turbomeca TM319-1B Arrius engines; unlike later production aircraft, both technology demonstrators flew with conventional tail rotors.
In the late 1990s, the design was revised with the introduction of the Fenestron tail rotor system, an advanced rigid main rotor, composite materials, and resonance isolation systems. It was decided to pursue a full certification program, resulting in the production of two pre-production prototypes; at the same time, it was chosen to give the Bo 108 a new designation of EC135 to correspond with the newly created Eurocopter company. At this point, it was decided that the EC135 should be developed with the option of being powered by two competing engines, the Turbomeca Arrius 2B and the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B engines; two pre-production prototypes were built in 1994 powered by either engine, both powerplants proved to be successful and were used on subsequent production aircraft.
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