UK Ministry of Defence orders six additional H145 helicopters

The new H145s will be deployed to Cyprus primarily for emergency response duties and to Brunei to support UK military training in jungle warfare. The aircraft will replace Airbus Pumas currently performing those roles.

The Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in the UK, Lenny Brown, said: “We congratulate the MOD on this smart acquisition, which simultaneously provides the right-sized helicopter for the Cyprus and Brunei requirements, represents excellent value for the UK taxpayer, and is another key step in the rationalization of types in the transport helicopter fleet.”

The new helicopters will be delivered next year and will serve in parallel with 29 H135s and seven H145s in the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury, which trains all UK military pilots as part of the UK’s Military Flying Training System (MFTS). According to Airbus, the enlarged H145 fleet brings economies of support costs and substantially reduces pilot conversion training time.

Airbus recently received orders for seven H145s from DRF Luftrettung, and four H135s from HealthNet Aeromedical Services.