The Tokyo Olympics concluded nearly a month ago. I went to the seaside to watch the windsurfing finals and managed to snap a few photos of the Airbus Helicopters H125 broadcast helicopter. I’m sharing them here.

Airbus Helicopters H125 (AS-350B3e) - Toho Air Service JA506E

Here is a description of this aircraft type, borrowed from the official Airbus website:

The H125 belongs to Airbus Helicopters' proven and reliable Squirrel family. More than 5,000 Squirrel single-engine helicopters have been delivered to over 100 countries worldwide, accumulating 23 million flight hours, with approximately 500 H125s still in service, mostly performing high-performance missions in hot and high conditions.

The H125 is part of the high-performance ‘Ecureuil Star’ family of single-engine helicopters. It is equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 2D turboshaft engine, featuring a new-generation dual-channel FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system and a backup third independent automatic control system. The cockpit display allows for real-time monitoring of main engine parameters.

Thanks to its built-in maneuverability, high visibility, and low cabin vibration levels, the H125 has earned a reputation as a truly multi-mission heavy-duty machine. It can be seen at helipads, hospital helipads, and law enforcement centers around the world. The H125 features a new flat cabin floor, allowing for rapid conversion of various mission equipment, meeting the requirements of high-altitude operations, fire fighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, and passenger transport.

The H125 instrument panel features the Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD), developed specifically for Airbus Helicopters. It reduces pilot workload by simplifying operations, thereby enhancing flight safety. Pilots can easily read various parameters on the display at any time.

The H125 (formerly AS 350 B3e) outperforms all other single-engine helicopters in terms of performance, versatility, safety, maintenance costs, and acquisition costs, and excels in extreme environments such as hot and high conditions. In 2005, the AS350 B3 successfully took off and landed at an altitude of 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) on Mount Everest, a world record that remains unbroken to this day.

For the security of the Olympics, the police launched a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the sea.

You can see a Japan Coast Guard Sikorsky S-76D helicopter continuously executing security missions above the broadcast helicopter.

OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Services) is an agency of the International Olympic Committee, established in 2001, with its headquarters in Madrid, Spain. The company is responsible for providing broadcast signals to broadcasters, protecting Olympic broadcast rights, and setting new broadcast standards for the Olympics. It first operated during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Prior to this, the host broadcaster’s functions were delegated to local organizing committees or third-party broadcasting companies to produce their respective broadcasts.

JA506E belongs to the Tokyo-based Toho Air Service. It appears OBS chartered this Squirrel helicopter for the on-site filming tasks of this Olympic Games.

During the Women’s Windsurfer RS:X class finals, Chinese athlete Lu Yunxiu won the gold medal. While JA506E was broadcasting overhead, I saved a few video screenshots from the official website on my iPhone: