Airbus Helicopters (AHI) has delivered the first of 16 new H125 helicopters uniquely configured for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO). AMO collaborated with AHI as part of a long-term fleet upgrade initiative.
The first helicopter for the new configuration was tested and delivered from Airbus Helicopters' facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. The remaining aircraft are being built in Columbus, Miss, where a workforce made up of 40% U.S. veterans also produces the UH-72A Lakota for the U.S. Army and has delivered more than 450 single-engine H125 aircraft for the North American market.
Following a rigorous analysis of its mission needs and next generation aerospace technology, AMO developed a set of requirements for the new helicopters, which Airbus put in place through nearly 30 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs). The series of STCs are tied together through a primary all-encompassing STC that ensures all of the systems interact properly with one another and with the basic aircraft.
