In January 1995, the EC135 made its first public appearance at the Heli-Expo convention at Las Vegas, at which prospective buyers were reportedly impressed with its appearance and performance figures [REF].
In 2002, the EC135 Active Control Technology demonstrator/Flying Helicopter Simulator (ACT/FHS), a research aircraft designed to test fibre optic-based flight control systems, undertook its first flight [REF].