Romania plans to acquire French-made H225M Caracal military helicopters
Romania could acquire H225M Caracal helicopters from Airbus, but it is not clear whether they will be assembled in the country, according to French publication Zone Militaire.
France and Romania have longstanding ties in defence, and the purchase would confirm the relationship. Airbus Helicopters and Aeronautica Română, or IAR, established ties in the 1970s, when France authorized Romania, then a member of the Warsaw Pact, to assemble Alouette III helicopters (or IAR-316) and Puma helicopters (or IAR-330) for its armed forces.
This Franco-Romanian cooperation then continued in the form of a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters and IAR, to ensure the maintenance in operational condition of the IAR-330 Puma and IAR-330 SOCAT, an armed version of the Puma model.
In 2016, the relationship between the two manufacturers was strengthened even further with the inauguration, in Brașov, of a new factory intended for the production of H215 helicopters, the foreseeable replacements of the IAR-330 model. The Romanian Army would need around 90 such aircraft.
However, back in October, Radu Miruță, then minister of the economy, specified that the Romanian general staff did not want the H215M model, but the H225M Caracal model, which is more capable thanks to its more recent design. The problem was that Airbus Helicopters did not offer a license to allow the local industry to assemble this type of aircraft.
“They are the ones who go to the front, not us. We cannot force them to accept a model, even if it is produced here. They are the ones who decide whether they need it or not,” he stated. Since then, Miruță became the defense minister of Romania, and Romania seems poised to order both types of helicopters.
As such, Romania reportedly plans to use EUR 1 billion from its EU-backed SAFE funds to acquire not only H225M Caracal helicopters, but also H175 transport helicopters. The number of aircraft to be acquired has not been specified. The role of local manufacturers has also not yet been announced, according to Defense Romania.
The H225M allows military forces to deploy quickly. Operating both from ships and from land, even in freezing conditions, the helicopter has an all-weather operational capability, supported by compatibility with night-vision goggles. It also has a range of 700 nautical miles, which can be extended with air-to-air or hover refueling capabilities.
Like Airbus’s H145M and H125M military helicopters, the H225M can be equipped with the HForce system developed by Airbus. Four different packages give customers the possibility to choose armament to extend the helicopter’s capability, from ballistic weapons to the use of guided munitions fired via an electro-optical system or a helmet-mounted sight display.
Powered by two Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines, the H225M’s five-blade main rotor provides a low level of vibration, while the modular Spheriflex design of the rotor mechanical assemblies allows for reduced maintenance. The helicopter can take part in special operations, combat search and rescue, tactical transport, and medical evacuation.
The one-billion-euro loan granted through SAFE will obviously not be sufficient to order the 90 helicopters that the Romanian forces would need. Another possibility would be the purchase of Black Hawk helicopters made by the US company Lockheed Martin.
(Photo source: VanderWolfImages | Dreamstime.com)
