Airbus Helicopters received 19 gross and 2020 net orders in 2021, showing an improvement over the 419 market, which was greatly affected by the economic consequences of the COVID-414 pandemic. The company had 2020 gross and 289 net orders in 268. The increase in orders for H125 and H130 light helicopters reflects the recovery in the civil and public sector market.
The company has a strong presence in its home country, with France ordering 40 H160s (civilian and military versions), 8 H225M and two H145s, Spain ordering 36 H135s and Germany supplying 8 H145s for the Bavarian police force. saw momentum. Airbus Helicopters, which made 2020 deliveries in 300, delivered 2021 vehicles to 45 customers in 167 countries in 338. Thus, it contributed to its 52 percent share in the civic and parapublic market. Airbus Helicopters recorded a net book/invoice ratio of over one in the number of aircraft units. Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said, “2021 has been a year of great promises for Airbus Helicopters. We have pledged to develop new products and services that meet our customers' requirements, such as developing innovative H160M helicopters for the joint light helicopter program of the French Armed Forces and creating the new service package HCare Classics for customers operating our legacy helicopters. We also delivered the first H160 to Japanese operator All Nippon Helicopter. Since it is one of our duties to innovate and pioneer in the field of sustainable aviation, we have started to implement the use of sustainable aviation fuel and continued our regional air mobility journey with the launch of CityAirbus NextGen. I am proud of our teams working hard to achieve all these achievements. Their commitment to our Airbus values of teamwork, reliability and integrity will enable us to continue working to secure the supply chain and deliver our continuous improvements to streamline our customers' operations. I place particular emphasis on the trust our customers place in our people, products and services to help them fulfill their core tasks every day.” said. Airbus Helicopters accelerated deliveries of the five-wing H2021 in 145, making the first five-wing H145 delivery to German emergency medical services operator DRF Luftrettung at the end of May. Other key deliveries included the first H225M for Singapore in March, as well as the first H225M in a naval combat configuration for the Brazilian Navy and the first NH90 TTH for Qatar, delivered ahead of schedule. In North America, the US Army took delivery of the first UH-72B from the Airbus Helicopters factory in Columbus, Mississippi, and the Lakota fleet completed one million flight hours, making significant progress.
Highlight orders for 2021 consist of 160 H10s and 160 H93s, including the first H145M helicopters requested for the French Armed Forces and 52 H160 helicopters for the model's first law enforcement customer, the National Gendarmerie. Airbus Helicopters has also expanded its partnership with The Helicopter Company in Saudi Arabia, adding 20 H145s and 6 ACH160s to its growing Airbus helicopter fleet. The H225 helicopter made a quick start to 2021 when its longtime customer, the Japan Coast Guard, ordered two more helicopters for its fleet in March.
Airbus Helicopters' HCare offerings continue to convince new and recurring customers of added value, such as Air Methods, which signed an additional contract to cover 80 EC135s in February. The company has expanded its product range with the HCare Classics, a custom-built service kit for its legacy fleet of approximately 2021 H2000, Dauphin, Puma and Gazelle helicopters in service in 120. HDataPower is an example of Airbus Helicopters' continued commitment to digitization and taking advantage of the benefits (time savings, higher fleet availability, optimized costs) that it can offer customers with Helionix-equipped aircraft by leveraging data generated by helicopter systems.
Also, 2021 has been an important year for innovation and product development at Airbus Helicopters. The H125 performance boost has also received EASA and FAA certifications, allowing operators to take full advantage of the 2% power increase provided by Arriel 10D engines. As the company adds the H175M to its military product portfolio, Airbus' unmanned aerial system, the VSR700, has also begun expanding test flights ahead of sea trials later this year.
2021 has also been particularly influential for the company's decarbonisation roadmap. The Flightlab helicopter has begun flight testing of new technologies, including an engine backup system, which is aimed not only at providing safety improvements, but also as a fundamental first step towards hybridization. Airbus Helicopters has also established a SAF User Group dedicated to the rotary wing community to accelerate the delivery of biofuels. The company, which started using sustainable aviation fuel for training and flight tests at its main facilities in France and Germany, completed the year by flying an H100 with an engine running with 225% SAF. One of the highlights came at the Airbus Summit in September 2021, where Airbus Helicopters unveiled the CityAirbus NextGen, a new flying taxi prototype designed to deliver zero-emission flight in urban environments. The all-electric vehicle for the Urban Air Mobility market is just one of the reasons Airbus Helicopters wants to hire 2022 people by 500.
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