The end of a legend
The German armed forces bought 356 Bell UH-1D helicopters that entered service in 1967. The Luftwaffe (German air force) received 132 aircraft and many of them served in the search and rescue role from various detachments. Over the years, many of these detachments were disbanded and taken over by civil companies like ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club), Johannitter, and DRF (Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht German Air-Rescue e.V.).
As a result of the “Bundeswehr Reform 2013” that restructured Germany’s armed forces in 2013, the Bell UH-1D helicopters moved from the German air force to the army, and all remaining aircraft were assigned to Transport Hubschrauber Regiment 30 (THR 30). SAR missions were also taken over from the air force; therefore, for this purpose the 7th Squadron of THR 30 was established with detachments at Nörvenich Air Base (SAR41), Holzdorf Air Base (SAR87) and Landsberg/Penzing Air Base. The latter moved to Niederstetten in 2016 to become SAR63.
The Huey was destined to be phased out by 2016, but partly due to the SAR mission and the search for a suitable successor, its service life was extended for years. On April 13, 2021, the last UH-1D left SAR service at Holzdorf Air Base, and the last flight of the UH-1D in German Army service was made in June 2021.
The best helicopter for the job
In July 2013, the German Federal Ministry of Defense ordered 15 Airbus H145M LUH SOF (light utility helicopter-special operations forces) based on the EC645 T2 for the air force. The first aircraft entered service in 2015, and their early experiences have been highly positive partly due to high agility, modern avionics, four- axis autopilot, and excellent hover mode. “Furthermore, the NH90 proved to be too expensive to operate for the SAR role and too heavy to operate from certain helipads,” explains Major Florian, deputy commander for the 7th squadron of THR 30. He started his flying career in 1996, flying on the Bell TH-67 at Fort Rucker (renamed Fort Novosel) in Alabama, followed by the MBB Bö- 105 in Celle, Germany, before converting to the Airbus H135 at Bückeburg Air Base. At Niederstetten he flew the UH-1D and H145 LUH SAR and accumulated 2,000 flying hours, including 800 on the new H145 LUH SAR. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense decided in December 2018 to procure seven H145 LUH SAR helicopters and another H145 LUH for testing purposes. Training for the 51 pilots in the unit started almost immediately at the Airbus Helicopters Training Academy-Germany in Augsburg and Manching. The first aircraft was officially handed over at Niederstetten on Dec. 10, 2019, and the final aircraft arrived at the unit in March 2021.
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