The Spanish Ministry of Defense, through the General Directorate of Armaments and Material (Digam), has the Award of a contract to Airbus Helicopters España worth 1.975 billion euros to implement the program Light multi-purpose helicopters (Helipo) approved.
The contract covers the procurement of 50 H145M helicopters as well as the necessary logistical support for the initial entry into service of the aircraft.
The decision was made by way of Direct awardyes Airbus Helicopters Spain was the only company technically capable of implementing the project. According to the Ministry of Defense, additional improvements classified as strategic for public administration were also negotiated.
The budget will last for a period of ten years implemented, starting in the next financial year and with planned completion in the year 2035. The financial plan distributes the funds in annual tranches with payments in between 60 million and 300 million euroscorresponding to the various phases of procurement, integration and logistical support of the program.
Structural change in army aviation
The Helipo program is considered one of the most important modernization initiatives Airmobile Forces of the Army (Famet)the flying component of the Spanish army. The approach goes beyond simply exchanging aircraft and is aimed at: structural Transformation der Flotte by introducing a unified, modern and interoperable platform.
The H145M is gradually becoming the lightest EC-135-Replace helicopters that have been in service since 2005 and are nearing the end of their useful life, and at the same time the operational gap between the attack helicopters Tigre and the medium transport helicopters NH90 close.
Why the H145M was chosen
According to the Spanish army, the war in Ukraine has shown that conventional conflicts are a… large volume of resources require what is difficult to maintain solely with highly complex platforms with high operating costs and limited quantities.
With this in mind, the H145M was chosen because it greater flexibility, lower operating costs and high availability and thus enables operations that are neither suitable for the Tigre, which is designed for heavy combat, nor for the significantly larger and more expensive NH90.
Three versions for different tasks
Of the planned 50 units, the H145M will be in… three main configurations procured:
- Emergency and disaster operationsintended for the Military Emergency Unit (UME)
- Education and training
- Multi-purpose light attackequipped with the weapon system HForce
The latter version can be configured for a wide range of missions, including fire support, armed reconnaissance and security operations.
HForce system and production in Albacete
HForce is a modular weapon system developed by Airbus that allows the integration of missiles, laser-guided missiles, cannons and machine guns, turning the helicopter into a light attack platform. An essential part of this system will be made in Albacetethereby strengthening the participation of Spanish industry in the program.
The system includes one Multi-purpose mission calculatora helmet-mounted targeting system (HMSD), electro-optical sensors for target detection as well as interfaces for various types of weapons and enables the combat of armored vehicles, aircraft, drones and light maritime targets.
Technical characteristics of the H145M
The H145M comes with two Turbomeca Arriel 2Eengines, a digital one FADEC-engine control and the avionics package Helionix equipped, which integrates a four-axis autopilot and significantly reduces the crew’s workload. The manufacturer also raises the low acoustic signature which is one of the lowest in its class.
International users
In addition to Spain, the H145M has already been sold by Deutschland, Hungary, Serbia, Thailand, Luxemburg and Cyprus procured where it is used in different military and security-related operational profiles.
Source and images: X @AirbusHeli | @AirbusHeli | @Defensagob | @EjercitoTierra | @Armada_esp | @EjercitoAire. This content was created with the support of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
