On Thursday, Airbus Helicopters announced that it had signed a deal for up to 82 multi-role H145M helicopters for the German military, the largest order for such a model converted from civilian use for light attack and special operations missions.
European aerospace group, which includes the world’s largest civil helicopter maker and a line of military aircraft such as Tiger and NH-90, did not indicate the financial value of the transaction. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a special fund of 100 billion euros was established to modernise Germany’s armed forces to fund the urgent requirement, which has a reported budget of 3.05 billion euros.
Due to operational difficulties, Berlin has been reluctant to upgrade Airbus’ Tiger attack helicopter. The H145M will replace some Tigers as a light attack helicopter under a transitional arrangement.
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According to Airbus, the deal includes an order for 62 H145M helicopters and options for another 20. The German Army will receive 57 helicopters and the Luftwaffe special forces will receive five helicopters. The latest German H145M incorporates options for future mission capabilities, including the ability to work with drones.
According to France’s La Tribune, which reported earlier the H145M order, Airbus is also competing with Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky to supply 40 larger helicopters to German police. In the H145M, an additional blade has been added to the H145, which is a military derivative of the H145 light-twin helicopter, which originated from a German-Japanese project in the 1990s.
Although Airbus is experiencing high sales for its upgraded version, Reuters reported earlier this year that it was exploring the possibility of developing a replacement for the H145 under the codename X9, including plans to develop a technology demonstrator. Launch decisions are considered some time off, however. The development of a new helicopter can take seven to ten years and approximately $1 billion.
