Helicopter Investor’s New Year news roundup
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has completed the first flight of its updated Dhruv ‘New Gen’ helicopter. (Photocredit: HAL).
Welcome to Helicopter Investor’s news round up of stories you may have missed over the festive period. Featuring in our news list are manufacturers, operators and dealers.
Starting with manufacturers, state-owned Indian aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) confirmed at the end of last year the maiden flight of its updated Dhruv ‘New Gen’ (NG) helicopter.
Designed and manufactured by HAL, the 5.5t Dhruv NG is a light twin-engine, multi-role helicopter engineered for Indian terrain. Powered by two Shakti 1H1C engines, the helicopter includes a civil-certified glass cockpit (compliant to AS4 requirements), modern avionics and a range of safety features.
The company’s chief MD D K Sunil said: “Dhruv ‘New Gen’ helicopter is the cornerstone of HAL’s civil expansion. The Dhruv Mk 1 Civil platform has already clocked over 24,000 hours and has been specifically upgraded to meet the rigorous demands of the global civil aviation market, marking a milestone in India’s indigenous rotary-wing capability.”
Airbus Helicopters revealed an order for 100 helicopters from the Spanish Ministry of Defence. From that total, and in addition to military deployments, 13 H135 helicopters will be used for light utility missions. A further 50 H145M assets will be used for light utility and disaster relief. Six super-medium H175Ms will be tasked with governmental missions, including the transport of authorities.
The manufacturer also revealed how it is working with French operator SAF (Service Aérien Français) Hélicoptères to promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using book and claim. The partners are promoting the use of SAF with the deployment of two H145 helicopters for emergency medical services (EMS) missions in Catalonia, Spain.
“Under the terms of our service contract with the Catalan Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services, we provide two H145 helicopters along with the pilots, technical aircrew, line maintenance and training,” explains SAF Hélicoptères co-director, Jean-Louis Camus. “These two helicopters support two hospital bases, which in turn supply the medical teams.”
Bell Textron announced the delivery of a second Bell 505 to the Fort Worth Police Department. Bell’s partnership with the city of Fort Worth dates back almost 75 years. “All of us at Bell value our long-standing relationships with the city of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department, and we are proud to be a partner in supporting the city’s public safety initiatives and advancing the department’s impact with this added capability,” said Danny Maldonado, chief commercial officer and incoming Bell CEO. “Nearly 75 years after Bell’s move to Fort Worth, this city remains home for us, and we look forward to seeing this new aircraft serve the citizens of Fort Worth.”
Leonardo Helicopters successfully completed the maiden flight of its Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR) technology demonstrator at the company’s Cascina Costa facility in northern Italy towards the end of last month.
Based the manufacturer’s AW609 tiltrotor, the new aircraft is planned as a airborne laboratory rather than the forerunner of a production aircraft.
Logistics firm B&H Worldwide revealed its role in transporting two new Airbus H145 rescue helicopters to New Zealand. The aircraft will supporting the fleet renewal programme of the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust and GCH Aviation.
When fully commissioned, the helicopters will support emergency medical, accident response, inter-hospital transfer and search-and-rescue missions across the Canterbury, West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough regions, where rescue helicopters respond to more than 1,700 missions each year.
Christine Prince, CEO, Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, said: “Bringing these helicopters into service has been an enormous undertaking, but our communities deserve a world-class rescue helicopter service. These new aircraft will significantly enhance the care and support we can provide to people in their most critical moments.”
Rotortrade, the helicopter dealer, MRO and finance firm revealed its plan to open a new maintenance, sales and services hub in Riyadh named the Rotortrade Helipark. The facility will span 6,000sqm over three floors, with multiple helipads, sales display areas, a premium hospitality zone and a fully integrated service centre for Airbus and Leonardo services.
“The Rotortrade Helipark represents our long-term commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC [Gulf Co-operation Council] region,” said Philippe Lubrano, founder and CEO of Rotortrade. “It is more than just a facility – it is a destination. Clients will be able to explore our aircraft, enjoy premium hospitality, and access comprehensive end-to-end services under one roof. This project reflects our ambition to establish Rotortrade as the world’s leading global helicopter dealership and provides a unique value proposition not seen anywhere else in the rotorcraft industry.”
AerCap, the aviation leasing company and owner of Milestone, confirmed this week it had signed 122 lease agreements during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025. This included 22 agreements for helicopters and 36 for engines. (The balance was accounted for by wide- and narrow-body jets).
It completed 40 purchases during the quarter including 30 fixed-wing aircraft, two engines for AerCap’s owned engine portfolio and eight helicopters. During the year, AerCap signed 371 lease agreements, completed 145 purchases and 189 sale transactions. Signed financing transactions totalled about $13.2 bn.
Rotortrade’s new Rotortrade Helipark in Riyadh will operate as a maintenance, sales and services centre.
