Having taken delivery of two Kodiak 100s at the beginning of the year, Pau-Pyrénéees-based Héli-Béarn now finds itself with a contract to perform paratroop drops so the French armed forces can test their parachutes.

A Kodiak 100 for Héli-Béarn has a sliding door and benches to take up to 15 parachutists. Capable of climbing to 3,000 m (12,000 ft) in nine and a half minutes, it can provide an average of four rotations per hour.