Airbus has announced that the UK Ministry of Defense has ordered six more Airbus H145 helicopters as the next step towards renewing its rotating fleet and reducing the number of variants in service.
The new aircraft will be deployed to Cyprus, primarily for emergency response duties and to support UK military training in jungle warfare exercises in Brunei. It will replace the Airbus Pumas that currently perform these roles.
Airbus Helicopters UK Managing Director Lenny Brown said:
“We congratulate the Ministry of Defense on this smart acquisition which provides the right size helicopter for the needs of Cyprus and Brunei at the same time, represents excellent value for the UK taxpayer and is another important step in rationalizing transport helicopters in the fleet.
The H145 Jupiter and its sister H135 Juno continue to demonstrate exceptional reliability and versatility in the Military Flight Training System (MFTS) training role and will bring these critical attributes to their new missions.
The new helicopters will be delivered next year and will serve alongside the 29 H135s and seven H145s at the Defense Helicopter Flying School, which trains all UK Army pilots as part of the MFTS at the Royal Air Force – RAF Shawbury.
Airbus information
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