The new aircraft will join the French Air Force’s existing fleet of 10 H225Ms and will be delivered in a configuration that allows it to be interoperable with the fleet, with the ability for inflight refuelling.

“We are very proud that the French Air Force is renewing its trust in the reliable multirole H225M, having been the first to deploy the type in an operational theatre in 2006,” said Alexandra Cros, Vice-President and Head of Governmental Affairs France at Airbus Helicopters. “The H225M is a real military asset thanks to its versatility and its excellent range. Operational from ships and land with an all-weather capability and take-off in less than five minutes, it’s always ready for assignment,” she added.

More than 180 of the H225M aircraft have been ordered to date, with 97 delivered and 110,000 flight hours accumulated. The HJ225M is a ‘a recognised combat-proven, versatile and reliable workhorse for military missions worldwide’ and has already been purchased by France, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Indonesia has recently placed a follow-on order for an additional eight aircraft. Other recent customers for the H225M include Kuwait, Singapore and Hungary who signed a contract for 16 H225Ms in December 2018.