Poland

Poland’s emergency medical services (EMS) provider Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR) has added four additional aircraft to its fleet of Airbus H135P3 helicopters powered by Pratt & Whitney’s (P&WC) PW206B3 turboshaft engines.

The addition has expanded LPR’s H135P3 fleet to 27 aircraft.

LPR began operating P&WC powered aircraft earlier this year.

P&WC marketing vice-president Irene Makris said: "P&WC has maintained a strong presence on the H135 since the first variant was introduced 20 years ago, and with the PW206B3 powering the H135P3, we intend to keep it that way.

"We chose the PW206B3 engine because it has been proven in the field in countless settings."

"We have steadily introduced new technologies into the engine and worked closely with Airbus Helicopters to meet the aircraft’s needs, all while maintaining and improving the PW200’s world-renowned durability and dependability, as well as P&WC’s unmatched customer service capabilities."

The PW206B3 engine family has similar engine architecture as the PW206B2 and provides up to 10% more thermal takeoff power in hot and high conditions compared with its predecessor PW206B2.

The engine features automatic start and automatic power sharing, lower emission and an enhanced 4,000-time between overhaul (TBO) with on-condition hot section inspection (HSI).

LPR continuing airworthiness deputy director Wojciech Wozniczka said: "Our helicopters are dispatched in high-priority emergency cases.

"In a life-and-death situation, aircraft reliability has to be assured. We chose the PW206B3 engine because it has been proven in the field in countless settings, including EMS, where it is in widespread use."

A member of Airbus Helicopters’ light-medium EC135 family, the twin-engine H135 has so far been delivered to around 300 operators and are in service in around 60 countries.

Image: The H135 is a member of Airbus Helicopters’ light-medium EC135 family. Photo: courtesy of Airbus Helicopters.