The French Minister of Armed Forces, Florence Parly, has announced that the Armament General Directorate (DGA) has signed an order to purchase eight additional H225M "Caracal" helicopters.

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H225M Caracal (Picture source: Airbus)

Intended to equip the French Air and Space Force, the 8 helicopters will be delivered in 2024 and 2025 and will initiate the replacement of the SA330 Puma maneuver helicopters, whose average age is 43 years.They will thus help to form a homogeneous fleet the Air and Space Force already having ten Caracal helicopters in service.

This order, worth around 300 million euros, is anticipated in relation to the planning of the Military Programming Law  2019-2025. It will ensure a workload equivalent to 960 jobs for three years within Airbus Helicopters, its main equipment suppliers Thales and Safran, and their subcontractors Small and medium-sized enterprises and Mid-size enterprises. It will also make it possible to equip the Air and Space Force with high-performance and versatile aircraft up to the latest standard, capable of carrying out difficult missions in the most demanding environments.

In service since 2006, the Caracal is a modern aircraft optimized for combat search and rescue missions. It is also used during maneuver and medical evacuation missions. Versatile, the Caracal performs these numerous missions, day and night, both on national territory and in external operations.

Refuelable in flight, by tactical transport aircraft (type C130-J from today and A400M Atlas from 2022), the Caracal has the best reach and range in its category, a decisive military advantage.

Airbus Helicopters H225M Infographic (Picture source: Airbus)