Airbus Helicopters H225(M) Super Puma & Caracal Family

Titus K

Titus K

ACCESS: Top Secret
Joined
6 September 2025
Messages
840
Reaction score
2,856
Just a heads up on the state of the H225 family, since i can't find a thread anywhere.

The backlog currently consists of around 100 airframes, with military and police orders representing the bulk of them :
  • Germany has ordered 38 H225 ( +6 options ) to equip its police.
  • The Netherlands has ordered 12 H225M for its special forces.
  • Iraq has ordered 12 H225M, but has expressed a need for “at least 36 Caracals.”
  • Morocco has just ordered 10 H225M.
  • France is still awaiting delivery of its last 4 H225M,
  • Japan has ordered an extra 3 H225 for it's coast guard, raising it's fleet to 18 aircrafts.
  • Thailand has just ordered 2 H225.
All of these customers consider fast delivery to be a contractual imperative.
Thus, Airbus has invested to increase it's production capacity.
Its industrial strategy, called “Genflex,” is intended to increase speed and flexibility in order to, ultimately, reach a production rate of 25 to 30 Caracals per year.

By the way, after several setbacks, deliveries to Kuwait were completed in the summer of 2024, with the full fleet of 30 H225Ms handed over.

Finally, Hungary took delivery in July 2025 of the final unit from its 2018 order of 16 H225M Caracals.
image.jpeg
 
Last edited:
TomcatViP said:
That 's a big helo for a police force?!!
Click to expand...
It's for the Bundespolizei, formerly the Bundesgrenzschutz, so it's closer to a Gendarmerie than your typical local force, with responsibilities including CTW (including GSG9), riot control and UN missions. Half the helicopters it's replacing are earlier models of Super Puma (the rest are H155s).
 
TomcatViP said:
I don't think the French Gendarmerie or Italian Carabinieri have anything like that.
Click to expand...
In France, the GIGN and RAID use 6 or 7 Pumas from the GIH, provided by the army and air force... I wonder if these will eventually be replaced by NH90s, H225Ms, or H160Ms once the Pumas are retired ?

The H160Μ is also set to replace the Écureuil in the Gendarmerie, which is already a step up in weight class.

As for the difference between France/Italy and Germany ... couldn’t it simply come down to budget ? :D Ι'm sure the former would love to operate their how fleet of ~40 heavy helicopters.
Like in the US, where not every sheriff’s office can afford the luxury of operating 3 Super Pumas.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    153.3 KB · Views: 31
Last edited:
The 160 is less chocking as designed to still fit in standard Helipads (think Hospitals, Costal rescue services etc...) despite the heavy price tag, but I am wondering how you can airlift patients from an Autobahn accident with something as big as the H225M.
 
In Romania :
https://www.opex360.com/2026/01/07/...es-helicopteres-h225m-caracal-aupres-dairbus/
Only, in October, Radu Miruță, then Minister of the Economy [since moved to Defence, ed.], specified that the Romanian General Staff did not want H215M but H225M Caracal, more efficient because of more recent design. Except that Airbus Helicopters did not offer a license to allow the local industry to assemble this type of aircraft.

"They are [the military] who go to the front lines, not us. We cannot force them to accept a model, even if it is produced here. It is up to them to decide whether they need it or not, "said Mr. Miruță.

In any case, the choice of the military was ratified by the Romanian government. This is indeed what the specialised site Defense Romania says, which was able to consult the list of equipment that Bucharest plans to acquire thanks to the 16.7 billion euros of loans granted by the European Commission at a very advantageous rate under the financial instrument SAFE [Security Action for Europe]. And there is talk of an envelope of one billion euros to acquire not only H225M Caracal but also 7-ton H175 transport helicopters. The number of devices to be acquired was not specified.
Click to expand...

There are also indications that the UAE could finally move ahead with the purchase of 12 Caracals.
https://www.latribune.fr/article/de...unis-et-airbus-ont-enterre-la-hache-de-guerre
Caracal helicopters: The United Arab Emirates and Airbus have buried the hatchet

After several years of complicated relations, Airbus Helicopters and Abu Dhabi have been trying for a few months to find a way to compromise to finalise the renegotiations of the Caracal contract... signed in 2021.
Click to expand...

And in the Netherlands
https://www.nlr.org/newsroom/nieuws/nlr-collaborates-with-airbus-on-caracal-helicopters/
 
Last edited:
With the EU's SAFE funding, Romania has now sufficient budget to purchase 12 H225M helicopters… But Airbus has indicated that a full industrial partnership ( including a FAL in Brașov ) would require an order of 42 aircraft.
The participation of IAR Brașov in the H225M helicopter project is uncertain. Airbus is seeking an order of 42 aircraft, but Romania can only afford 12 units.

The Airbus – IAR Brașov partnership, aimed at involving the Ghimbav-based company in the manufacturing of the H225M military helicopter in Romania, is uncertain. The French are requesting an order of 42 units, but Romania only has the budget to purchase 12 aircraft under the SAFE program.

This requirement from the French side was announced by Airbus on March 24 in a press release.

“Romania is a strategic country for us. We are ready to expand our activities here by creating jobs in advanced technologies and building a strong supply chain that will serve both Romania and the global market. As part of the H225M project, which is the cornerstone of our commitment to Romania, full industrial cooperation will be established following an order of 42 aircraft,” said Georges Durdilly, CEO of Airbus Helicopters in Romania, according to the press release.

However, as early as January, the Minister of National Defence, Radu Miruță, told Defense Romania that Romania would acquire 12 H225 helicopters for a total of €850 million. He indicated that the military’s needs were more modest, but that financial resources do not allow for a larger-scale acquisition.

On that same occasion, he suggested that it is unlikely that the Romanian defense industry will take part in the production of the helicopters the country is preparing to acquire.

“Given the number of helicopters being purchased, it is not possible to transfer full production to Romania,” Mr. Miruță stated.
Click to expand...
https://brasovmetropolitan.ro/2026/...e-zbor-romania-isi-permite-doar-12-exemplare/

Also 3 H225 have just been ordered by Vietnam
https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/...-operations-with-airbus-h225-helicopter-order
 
Titus K said:
With the EU's SAFE funding, Romania has now sufficient budget to purchase 12 H225M helicopters… But Airbus has indicated that a full industrial partnership ( including a FAL in Brașov ) would require an order of 42 aircraft.
Click to expand...
We have an answer

Romania is ordering 12 H225M helicopters via SAFE financing for 870 million €, assembly will take place in France.
Romania will, however, manufacture 10% of all Caracal fuselages, including for export.

Then, starting in 2030, Romania will order an additional 30 H225M for approx 2 billion €
Airbus will then set up in Romania :
  • a final assembly line (FAL) for those 30 H225M (+export probably)
  • an MRO center for all Airbus aircraft in service in Central and Eastern European countries
  • a training center for pilots and technicians
  • Safran will also establish an engine maintenance center and produce engine parts at Turbomecanica Romania.

https://www.gandul.ro/actualitate/g...tie-este-cu-nemtii-de-la-rheinmetall-20874115
 
Last edited:
Romania orders 12 H225M Caracal and inks agreement for a final assembly line.

https://www.flightglobal.com/archiv...sembly-plan-as-part-of-h225m-and-h175m-deals/

Airbus Helicopters and IAR Brasov ink technology transfer agreement enabling local production of follow-on batch of heavy-twins.

Romania is to acquire a new rotary-lift capability for its armed forces, signing separate deals with the French government and Airbus Helicopters for the H175M and H225M that should pave the way for the creation of a new Super Puma final assembly line in the country.
...
Detailing its plans as part of a wider €16.8 billion ($19.5 billion) spending package funded by the EU’s SAFE military procurement programme, Bucharest says it will purchase six H175M super-medium-twins from the airframer, plus 12 H225M Caracal heavy-twins through a government-to-government agreement.
...
More interesting, however, is the agreement for the Caracals, reviving a plan outlined last decade to build Super Puma helicopters in Romania.
Although the initial acquisition covers 12 helicopters for a total of €800 million, the document notes that Romania intends to place a follow-on order for 30 more H225Ms.
These will be assembled at IAR Brasov in the centre of the country following the signature of an “industrial co-operation agreement” between the two companies.
This will “initiate the transfer of technology and licenses to the Romanian company, its employees being trained in the coming years in France in order to establish a final assembly line in Romania,” the document states.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
5th and last H225M delivered to Ecuador
https://www.helis.com/database/news/ecuador-h225m-delivery-completed/
This delivery marks the conclusion of a US$90 million contract signed in 2023. The strategic acquisition utilized second-hand airframes originally built as EC225LP models, which were extensively modernized and overhauled to H225M military standards by a facility in Romania.
Click to expand...

The acquisition program followed a phased delivery schedule beginning in early 2025:
- Units 1 & 2 (AAE-470, AAE-471): Arrived at the Port of Manta on March 5, 2025, and were formally commissioned by President Daniel Noboa on June 2, 2025.
- Units 3 & 4 (AAE-472, AAE-473): Delivered in late March 2026 to the Port of Manta for integration and operational preparation.
- Unit 5 (Final Aircraft): Received in May 2026, completing the five-helicopter order.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom