Production of the Airbus Helicopters H225 is now expected until the 2040s, following a record order for 44 examples of the heavy twin-engine aircraft for the Bundespolizei, the German federal police.
Revealed at the ILA Airshow in Berlin on June 6, the €1. 9 billion ($2 billion) commitment (38 company orders and six functions) will be delivered over the period 2029-2035.
According to Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, this contributes to the H225 being built “beyond 2040”.
The variety through a “demanding” visitor like the Bundespolizei after a festival in which it beat the Sikorsky S-92 “gives visibility” to the Super Puma program, he says.
Such an order “gives us flexibility” beyond 2030, he said, and production will likely be around 20 aircraft per year. In the past five years, the planemaker has delivered about 100 planes to military and government manufacturers.
Excluding German orders, Cirium’s fleet data assumes a delay of 37 H225s, most of which are the military variant.
“We are in a position to welcome consumers from all over the world for decades to come,” adds Even, stressing that for some missions, the 11t helicopter “will be the only competitive solution”.
The meeting of the Bundespolizei’s new fleet will take place at the aircraft manufacturer’s headquarters in Marignane, France; maintenance and overhaul activities are carried out at Airbus Helicopters Technik in Kassel and at customer sites.
Even also welcomes the political support and broader trade policy inherent in the request. “In today’s complex and competitive world, a company like Airbus will have to be more than resilient and innovative,” he says.
The immediate evolution of global politics means that “we, in industry, also want the well-being of our home countries. “
While the largest order for the H225 is a 50-unit commitment from Brazil for the military variant of the M model, the German order is the largest deal for the civilian model, Even says.
The first units of the German Lockheed Martin F-35A will enter the reunion procedure in Marietta, Georgia, in the fourth quarter of this year, before deliveries begin in 2026.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of the Gulfstream G500 and G600 fleet in reaction to a “quality evasion” involving improper engine mounting hardware.
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The German Federal Ministry of the Interior has even ordered Airbus Helicopters H225 for the Bundespolizei, a record commitment for this heavy-duty twin-engine aircraft.
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