MBB Bk117

The BK117 is a twin-engined medium utility transport helicopter jointly developed between Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) of Germany and Kawasaki of Japan.

It first flew on June 13, 1979, and the original production run continued until 2004 with 443 aircraft built before it was succeeded by the larger EC145 (BK117 C2).

In December 2012, Kawasaki delivered the 1,000th airframe of the BK117/EC145 family. By July 2018, over 1,300 units had been delivered globally.

In December 2024, Airbus and Kawasaki celebrated a major milestone with the delivery of the 2,000th airframe in the BK117/H145 series, a testament to the enduring success of the original 1977 partnership.

Construction Numbers (c/n)	Model / Designation	Key Features & Evolution
1...	Kawasaki Bk.117A/B/C	Early Japanese production variants.
7000 to 7253	MBB Bk.117A/B	Original German production line.
7500 to 7554	Eurocopter Bk.117C1	Introduced Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 engines for superior hovering performance.
4...	Kawasaki Bk.117C2	Japanese-built version of the EC145.
9...	Eurocopter EC145 (Bk.117C2)	30% larger cabin, improved blades, and glass cockpit. Rebranded to Airbus Helicopters in 2014.
20...	Airbus Bk.117D2 / H145 / EC645	Originally EC145T2. Introduced Fenestron tail rotor, Arriel 2E engines with FADEC, and Helionix avionics.
21...	Airbus H145D3 / Kawasaki Bk.117D3	5-bladed bearingless main rotor; increases payload by 150kg and improves ride smoothness. Includes D3M military variant.