The NPA is currently operating 12 H135, four H155 and six AS365 helicopters for missions such as law enforcement, personnel and VIP transport, goods transportation, disaster relief and wide area support. The new order will take the NPA’s Airbus fleet to 30.

With the H135, operators in Japan get trained by Airbus Helicopters’ Kobe-based H135 simulator center. There are currently 94 J135 helicopters in Japan and, globally, Airbus delivered more than 1,375 H135s.

Guillaume Leprince, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Japan, said: “Airbus Helicopters treasures the opportunity to support Japan’s wide-ranging law enforcement missions for more than 30 years with our light twin, medium and heavy-lift helicopters. We thank NPA for its continued trust built over the years and welcome the agency as a new customer for our Super Puma helicopters. With an enlarged fleet not just in numbers, but also in range and capacity, we are fully confident that the new helicopters will be a timely addition, reinforcing the agency’s operations.”