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Airbus H125 / AS350 Ecureuil

Airbus · Utility / Transport Helicopter · France · Cold War (1970–1991)

Airbus H125 / AS350 Ecureuil — Utility / Transport Helicopter
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The Airbus Helicopters H125 Écureuil, or Squirrel, is a single-engine light utility helicopter designed and originally manufactured by the French corporation Aérospatiale, later by Eurocopter, which became Airbus Helicopters. In North America, the H125 is marketed as the AStar. The AS355 Ecureuil 2 is a twin-engine variant, marketed in North America as the TwinStar.

Specifications

Category
Rotorcraft
Sub-Category
Utility/Transport
Domain
Civil
Era
Cold War (1970–1991)
Country
France
Manufacturer
Airbus
Co-Manufacturer
Aérospatiale; Eurocopter; Helibras; Tata Advanced Systems (future)
Operator
France/export
Primary Role
Utility / Transport Helicopter
Status
In Service
Service Entry
1977
Produced
5000
Unit Cost (2026$)
$3.5M
Propulsion
Turboprop
Engine
Turbomeca Arriel 2D turboshaft
Thrust / Power
970 shp
Launch
VTOL
Length (ft)
35.8
Wingspan (ft)
35.1
Empty Weight (lb)
2756
MTOW (lb)
4960
Payload (lb)
2425
Endurance (hr)
3
Service Ceiling (ft)
23000
Range (mi)
395
Max Speed (mph)
178
Max Speed (Mach)
0.27
Armament
None ? 5-6 passengers; most-used utility helicopter