DART signs agreement with JAC and KHI for H145 Fire Attack System

DART Aerospace has signed an agreement with the Japan Aerospace Corporation (JAC) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) to design and certify a new ‘Fire Attack System’ for the new five-bladed Airbus H145 helicopter.

The partnership came at the request of DART representative JAC to market the system in Japan. KHI, which provides assembly services on behalf of Airbus for the H145 in Japan, will support JAC to help test, certify and install the tank with DART on the aircraft.

DART says that certification for the H145 Fire Attack System is expected by the end of 2022 from the US Federal Aviation Administration, with equivalent Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification expected to be approved afterwards.

The system will ‘reflect DART’s proven Model 311GII system, designed for the EC145/Kawasaki BK117C- 2 helicopter’, according to DART, which has a 912-liter main tank and a 53-liter foam tank, as well as an extendable hover pump with a 1,703 liter per minute pump flow rate.

“We are excited to work together with DART for a Fire Attack system solution that serves our H145//BK117D-3 customers in Japan,” says Hiroshi Kuramae, President & CEO at JAC. “DART systems are popular here and this new addition will help that popularity grow with a new set of customers.”

German air rescue provider DRF Luftrettung has been collaborating with Airbus to retrofit old-style four-bladed H145 helicopters to the new five-bladed design – unveiling its first completed retrofit in May 2021.

Ohio-based aerospace manufacturer TransDigm Group Incorporated announced earlier this week its intention to acquire aerospace equipment manufacturer DART Aerospace.