LIFESAVING air ambulance missions in the Black Country will get an upgrade next year after Midlands Air Ambulance Charity invested £7million into a state-of-the-art helicopter.

Work is currently underway on the new, larger H145 Airbus helicopter, which will enter the Lye-based charity’s fleet in January.

The helicopter undertook its first flight earlier this month as it travelled from Airbus’ headquarters in Donauwörth, Germany, to the UK to undergo a medical equipment fit out.

Hanna Sebright, chief executive for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “We are pleased that progress of the new state-of-the-art H145 helicopter is on schedule.

“We made the strategic decision to invest in the larger, £7 million, helicopter to further develop our clinical and operational service, to allow us to continue to offer exceptional pre-hospital patient care.

“We are in a position to purchase the new airframe thanks to on-going support from our loyal fundraisers within the communities we serve, and a £1 million grant from the banking fines.

“The investment will improve the organisation’s long-term resilience and sustainability by further reducing overall operating costs.”

Registered as G-RMAA, the new helicopter will be operating from the charity’s RAF Cosford airbase and will predominantly cover the West Midlands and Shropshire areas.

The new air ambulance helicopter will provide a number of benefits, being able to travel greater distances without the need for refuelling and it will enable the aircrew to respond even faster due to increased speed capability.

The larger interior means additional aircrew can be flown to major incident scenes, while also enabling improved medical equipment to be carried on board to treat more complex emergencies.

The charity currently owns one EC135 helicopter, and leases two further EC135 models. The charity will retain one leased aircraft, with the second leased aircraft being replaced by G-RMAA.