The helicopter to be equipped for Vietnam's CSB 8004 vessel has been revealed.

After much speculation about the type of helicopter to be equipped on the Coast Guard vessel DN-2000, the specific helicopter has finally been revealed.

According to the Coast Guard website, on the morning of October 22nd, at the Z189 Factory (General Department of Defense Industry), the Coast Guard Command and the Z189 Factory held a handover ceremony for the fourth DN-2000 multi-purpose vessel (hull number CSB 8004). This is the last vessel to be handed over out of a total of seven.

Before handover, the ship underwent technical testing and acceptance, including long-distance sea trials, successful firing tests of the onboard artillery, and testing and acceptance of EC155 B1 helicopter takeoffs and landings on the ship's helipad.

Handover ceremony for the CSB 8004 vessel.

The acceptance committee conducted five takeoffs and landings of the EC155 B1 helicopter while the ship was anchored and moving at 2.5 knots.

All aircraft takeoffs and landings were conducted with absolute safety; the helicopter landing pad and flight safety equipment on board the CSB 8004 vessel met the technical standards for acceptance testing.

The use of the EC155 B1 helicopter to test the helipad on the Coast Guard vessel CSB 8004 indicates a very high probability that this type of aircraft will be used on vessels over 2,000 tons of the Vietnam Coast Guard.

The EC155 B1 is an improved version of the EC155 multi-purpose helicopter series, researched, developed, and manufactured by Airbus Helicopter.

The main improvement of the EC155 B1 lies in its new generation Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 engine with 880 horsepower, along with a 5-blade propeller and a Fenestron-type tail rotor, resulting in vibration and noise levels below 4.6dB (below ICAO regulations).

In other words, the EC155 B1 surpasses the Mi-8/17 family in terms of smooth operation, low noise, high stability, and maneuverability. The EC155 B1 has a maximum takeoff weight of 4.8 tons, a flight speed of 225-276 km/h, and a maximum range of 671 km. The aircraft is operated by two pilots.

The EC155 B1 helicopter is undergoing takeoff and landing tests on ship 8004.

Currently in Vietnam, the EC155 B1 helicopter is primarily used for oil and gas operations, VIP flights, tourism, and can participate in search and rescue operations at sea when needed. In the near future, it is highly likely that the EC155 B1 will be selected for patrol flights to protect the country's maritime and island territories.

However, there is still no official information confirming Vietnam's decision to choose the EC155 B1 helicopter for the CSB DN-2000 vessel. Notably, before the acceptance testing of the helicopter landing pad on the CSB 8004 vessel, the Vietnam Coast Guard announced a model of the DN-2000 vessel with the accompanying EC-135 helicopter.

According to Baodatviet