Romania has signed a contract to buy 12 Airbus H225M multirole military helicopters, Airbus said in a press release on Wednesday.

The agreement was concluded with the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) under the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, Airbus said. The European Union financial instrument is designed to help member states speed up defence readiness by allowing urgent, large-scale investments in the European defence industry, with a focus on closing critical capability gaps.

“We are honoured that Romania has chosen the H225M to strengthen its defence capabilities,” said Matthieu Louvot, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. He said the selection would also strengthen Romania’s industrial capabilities through Airbus’s long-term partnership with IAR, the country’s sole helicopter manufacturer.

“We are proud to welcome Romania within the growing H225M community, establishing the H225M as a key asset of Europe’s defence,” Louvot added.

The Romanian Air Force currently operates the IAR-330 Puma, a locally produced version of the Puma built under an Aerospatiale licence. According to Airbus, the 12 H225Ms will begin the replacement of the Puma fleet for conventional and special operations. Romania has previously ordered two H215M helicopters in naval configuration.

The contract is the second signed by Romania and Airbus Helicopters under SAFE. Seven H160 and five H145 helicopters were recently ordered for public service missions, the company said.

Airbus said it has been present in Romania for more than 20 years through its three businesses. Airbus Helicopters’ customer centre supports Romanian Airbus fleets and also serves export customers. Airbus Defence and Space provides secure communications and systems engineering services, while Airbus’s commercial aircraft business manufactures strategic parts in the country.

Airbus said more than 350 H225 and H225M helicopters are in service, with over one million flight hours combined. It listed the other H225M customers as Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Singapore and Thailand.

The press release did not disclose the contract value or a delivery schedule.

Source: PR