From its booth number 321 at the 2011 Air Medical Transport Conference, American Eurocopter announced today that Sanford Health has purchased three EC145s. The aircraft were chosen after a very thorough evaluation process and will be part of an initiative to expand Sanford’s coverage area and its services to patients.

Sanford Health is, geographically, the largest rural not-for-profit health care system in the nation. It is an integrated health system with headquarters in Fargo, ND, and Sioux Falls, SD, with locations in 112 communities in seven states.

“Sanford Health is a well-respected organization serving communities in the upper Midwest and we are excited to welcome the program to the American Eurocopter family,” said Treg Manning, American Eurocopter’s Vice President of Sales. “Sanford certainly did its research and has chosen a helicopter that has proven itself as a spacious, reliable platform for the U.S. air medical industry. We look forward to working with Sanford and supporting it in the future.”

Orlen Tschetter, Vice President at Sanford Health, explains that there was a long selection process for the EC145s. “We visited a variety of operators and air medical programs and performed very significant due diligence in the search for our new helicopter fleet. We knew we wanted an established product with the size to accommodate passengers and equipment, and the performance to provide the range to service our growing coverage area. The EC145 was our choice.”

The EC145 provides a combination of reliability, performance, advanced technologies and a spacious cabin that has made it the platform of choice for a growing number of EMS operators in the United States and around the world. Powered by two Turbomeca ARRIEL engines, the aircraft offers a fast cruise speed and long range, and its high set main and tail rotors, rear-loading clamshell doors, extra payload capacity, unmatched visibility and additional safety features are ideal for air medical missions.

The three aircraft will be located throughout Sanford’s service area. The first EC145 will be in service in Sioux Falls by the end of this year. The other two will be put into service in the Fargo division in 2012.

Sanford Health includes 34 hospitals, 116 clinic locations and more than 900 physicians in 70 specialty areas of medicine. With more than 20,000 employees, Sanford Health is the largest employer in North and South Dakota.

About American Eurocopter

American Eurocopter is the U.S. affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer and markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer. The product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. American Eurocopter’s headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, TX, with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, MS.

Photo of the announcement ceremony at American Eurocopter’s booth at AMTC 2011