“The PW200 family, of which includes the PW206B2 engines, have proven to be exceptionally mission adaptable, economical to operate and dependable,” said Nicolas Chabée, vice president, marketing and sales, Helicopter Engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “We have worked closely with the Swiss Air Force over the years, helping to ensure the engines in the customer’s H135 fleet remain highly reliable, support exceptional dispatch availability metrics, and have a long and productive life cycle.”
“The missions the Swiss Air Force fleet undertake are always important and many help protect and save lives,” said Nadine Schroeder, communications manager, Swiss Air Force. “In addition, the fleet plays a key part for the training of our pilots. Therefore, they need to be always at the ready and have to serve a variety of purposes over many years. The Airbus H135 helicopter with PW206B2 engines meets that imperative.”
The PW200 engine family was among the first helicopter engines to have an integrated digital data capability. This powerful feature has been constantly expanded and enhanced with every new iteration of the engine. More than 6,000 PW200 engines have been delivered with over 4,500 still in service. The PW200 engine fleet has exceeded 16.5 million engine flying hours.
Pratt & Whitney powers many vital aircraft in the Swiss Air Force’s fleet. For example, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine powers the Pilatus PC-6, de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, Pilatus PC-7 and Pilatus PC-21 aircraft used for military training and aerobatic display. Later this decade, the Swiss Air Force is scheduled to begin receiving a fleet of F-35 fighter jets powered by the F135 engine.
