Morocco orders H135s for Air Force

The contract, signed with Airbus at Farnborough Airshow, also covers an extensive support package including the delivery of Flight Training Devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots. The training programme will enable the air force to take full advantage of the H135’s multi-mission capabilities such as night vision goggles and winching.

The H135 has a maximum speed of 252km/h with a maximum range of 633km and a maximum endurance of 3h 36 min. It is equipped with two turboshaft engines (either Safran Arrius 2B2 Plus or Pratt & Whitney PW206B3) and has a useful load of 1,418kg, including a sling capacity of 1,200 kg. The aircraft’s cockpit is also equipped with a Helionix avionics suite.

“We are proud that the Royal Moroccan Air Force have selected the H135 for their training missions. It is a reliable, cost-efficient multirole helicopter that is ideally suited to transitioning to more complex aircraft,” said Arnaud Montalvo, Head of Africa and Middle East at Airbus Helicopters. “We are sure that the H135s will be a great asset to their fleet and we look forward to bringing them the best support in cooperation with our strategic partner Heliconia with its entry into service in the country,” he added.

The H135 is a popular aircraft in use by militaries and governments around the world. The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) also recently ordered an additional five H135 helicopters in February of this year. The Spanish government also ordered a fleet of 36 H135s for use by its Air Force, Navy, National Police, and the Guardia Civil in December 2021.