The Polish Ministry of Health has ordered 23 Eurocopter EC 135s for its nationwide EMS network. Deliveries will be spread over 2009 and 2010. The
EC 135s will replace aging Russian-made Mi-2s. They will enable Poland’s air rescue system to become fully compliant with European JAR OPS-3 standards, Eurocopter emphasized. An EC 135 flight simulator is also part of the contract. Warsaw-based Heli Invest, a Eurocopter distributor, will provide support that includes a 24/7 service hotline in Polish, warranty support, full maintenance services and
on-site customer support at bases all over the country. For the same tender, AgustaWestland had joined forces with PZL-Swidnik to offer the Grand. The deal was earlier estimated at $160 million.