Airbus Helicopters H125

The Airbus Helicopters H125, previously the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil is a light single engine utility helicopter that first flew in June 1974. The H125 has been extremely successful both as a military helicopter and was previously operated by the British Military as a trainer. The Chinese have also developed a military support and light attack helicopter designated as the Z-11 which is largely based on the base designs of the H125. As a testament to the designs success, over 5,000 are currently in military and civilian service around the world.

QinetiQ operate a wide variety of types as part of the Empite Test Pilots school including four H125s. The ETPS was established in 1943 and was the first test pilots school in the world and has the motto “Learn to test, test to learn”. The H125s on strength with the ETPS have been modified to train pilots in a variety of different scenarios they may experience when testing experimental aircraft.

QinetiQ will be providing a number of aircraft for static display at this year’s Air Tattoo as part of our Pushing the Boundaries theme. This will include one of their Airbus Helicopters H125s.

Photo Credit: Michael Hind