Article Posted on : - Jun 30, 2017

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the final H145M multi-role helicopter to the German Armed Forces. Photo: Luftwaffe/Heyn

DONAUWORTH (BNS): Airbus Helicopters has delivered the 15th and final H145M multi-role helicopter to the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The helicopters, stationed in Laupheim, are operated by the Bundeswehr special forces.

As the launch customer, the Bundeswehr ordered 15 of these high-performance helicopters in 2013 as part of the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Special Operations Forces (SOF) project. The first aircraft was delivered at the end of 2015.

The H145M is the military version of the light twin-engine H145 civil helicopter. With a maximum take-off weight of 3.7 tonnes, the agile H145M can be used for a wide range of tasks, including transport, supply, surveillance, air rescue, armed reconnaissance and medical evacuation.

The Bundeswehr’s H145M LUH SOF helicopters are equipped with a fast roping system to transport special forces, a high-performance camera system for reconnaissance, as well as equipment for fire support during deployment, enabling special forces to use the helicopters in a wide variety of new fields.

The helicopters were developed for day and night use and capable of operating in adverse conditions. Powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines, the H145M is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC).
 
In addition, the helicopter is equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite which, alongside innovative flight data management, includes a high-performance 4-axis autopilot, which considerably reduces pilot workload during missions. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145M the quietest helicopter in its class.

Other countries having ordered the H145M are the Republic of Serbia with nine units and Thailand with five, an Airbus Helicopter statement said.