Helicopters

The Polish ministry of health has taken delivery of the first of 23 Eurocopter EC135s. The light twin-engined type will replace the country ageing Mil Mi-2 fleet within the country's nationwide emergency medical services network.

The first EC135 is scheduled to enter service in early January and will be based in Warsaw. Five more EC135s are due for delivery this year and the remaining 17 in 2010. The fleet will be operated by Polish EMS provider Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe and positioned across LPR's 17 countrywide bases.

"The arrival of the EC135s at our bases is part of an ongoing process to modernise our HEMS infrastructure," says LPR director Robert Gałązkowski. "We are determined to provide the Polish people with the highest-quality HEMS services, and the entry into service of the EC135 is a major step forward for us."

Technical support for LPR's EC135s will be provided by Eurocopter's Warsaw-based distributor and maintenance centre Heli Invest. According to Eurocopter more than 800 EC135s have been delivered to 160 customers in 40 countries since the aircraft entered service 13 years ago.