Life Flight Network has ordered five Airbus H135 helicopters to support emergency medical missions in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West, Airbus announced on October 26. The order brings the operator’s total H135 commitment to eight aircraft, including three ordered in 2025. Airbus said the new helicopters will support missions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.
The purchase is a fleet-capacity decision, not a confirmed expansion of current flight operations. Neither Airbus nor AeroTime’s report on the agreement gives a delivery schedule, deployment base or date when the helicopters will begin transporting patients. The confirmed change is the order itself; any effect on local response capacity remains prospective.
Life Flight Network provides rotor-wing and fixed-wing medical transport, along with ground services, across the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West. AeroTime reports that the company also serves communities in Hawai`i, while Airbus specifically identifies the four mainland states for the missions supported by this order. The operator said its crews serve communities separated by mountain ranges, oceans and long rural distances.
Airbus describes the H135s as twin-engine aircraft equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite and a four-axis autopilot. Those are manufacturer-stated capabilities, not evidence that the aircraft are already operating in the affected communities. For now, residents and agencies should distinguish the documented procurement from a change in available emergency transport: the sources confirm the planned fleet addition but provide no operational timeline.