The Netherlands Ministry of Defense awarded Airbus Helicopters a contract for 12 H225M helicopters, which also includes an initial batch of support and services. The agreement was signed by Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, Head of the Dutch agency Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT), and Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters during the world’s largest maritime defense exhibition, Euronaval 2024 in Paris.
“We are very proud to see the Royal Netherlands Air Force and COMMIT renewing their trust in Airbus Helicopters. The H225M was selected by the Netherlands in June 2023 after a call for tender and an exhaustive evaluation, after which the Airbus helicopter was considered the best option for the very demanding special forces operations,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “The proven H225M is unmatched in terms of performance,
versatility and range. It can carry extensive mission equipment that can be tailored to each customer’s needs and will be serving its customer’s requirements for the decades to come,” he added.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) currently operates H215M family Cougars, which will be upgraded to extend their operational life until 2030, when they will begin to be replaced by the new H225M Caracal, whose delivery will be extended until 2032. These specially configured and equipped helicopters will be operated by the newly created 300th Special Operations Squadron of the RNLAF, having its home at Gilze-Rijen airbase.
SOF operations support
Special Operations Forces (SOF) activities are military actions carried out by specially trained, organized and equipped units to perform complex security missions. RNLAF supports these missions with a dozen Cougar helicopters, which the Caracal will replace.
Due to the deteriorating security situation in Europe, the Dutch Ministry of Defense planned to increase the number of helicopters to support SOF missions to 14. However, during the procurement process, it was found that the budget was not sufficient, partly because the equipment required for these missions turned out to be more expensive than planned. For this reason, the Ministry has now decided to procure 12 H225M aircraft.
“With 12 Caracales, one SOF mission can be supported for a long period of time and possibly a second SOF mission for a short period of time,” the Dutch Ministry of Defense says.
Although the desired number of aircrafts could not be procured, the H225M represents a significant advance over the Cougar helicopters it will replace. This model features new avionics, an upgraded main gearbox and advanced airborne communication systems, as well as the ability to be equipped with the HForce weapon system. Its maximum takeoff weight has increased by 160 kg to 11,160 kg.
