Iraq Ministry of Defense orders 12 H225M helicopters

Airbus Helicopters has been awarded a contract for 12 H225M military variant multi-role helicopters by the Republic of Iraq. The contract was signed in Baghdad by the Minister of Defense of Iraq, Thabet al-Abbassi, in the presence of the French Ambassador, Patrick Durel. These helicopters will be operated by the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, replacing older Mi-17s for a wider range of missions: counterterrorism, special operations, tactical troop transport, attack, ground fire support, medevac, and combat search and rescue. Deliveries will start in 2025. Iraq already operates a fleet of Airbus helicopters from the H125, H135 and H145 families.

“We are very pleased to welcome a new member in the H225M family,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “The H225M is a combat-proven platform used around the world by many operators, including the French Air Force, for combat search and rescue missions. It has proven its worth and saved many lives since entering into service,” he added. “The H225M is unmatched in terms of range, payload and also mission systems. It has been designed to operate challenging missions in the most demanding environments. We are looking forward to seeing the H225M contribute to Iraq’s safety and sovereignty.”

The H225M has proven its reliability and durability in combat conditions and crisis areas. Benefiting from Airbus’ continuous improvement policy, the H225M is now equipped with new avionics, an enhanced main gear box, and airborne communication systems, and can be fitted with the HForce weapon system. The maximum takeoff weight has been increased by 160kg to 11,160kg.

There are more than 350 H225s in service and customers include France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, Kuwait, Brazil, and Hungary.

Germany’s Ministry of the Interior placed an order for 38 H225 helicopters for use by its Federal Police (Bundespolizei) earlier this year.