Airbus Delivers 3 Additional H225M Choppers To Brazil

Airbus has delivered three additional H225M helicopters to the Brazilian Armed Forces.

Two are destined for the Brazilian Army and the third for the Brazilian Air Force, bringing to seven the total number of H225M delivered to Brazil in 2015, the company said in a statement Monday.

These three aircraft are the first in their operational configuration for the Air Force and the Army. In addition to the systems included in the versions delivered previously to the Armed Forces, these new specially-equipped H225M will provide the Brazilian forces greater security to carry out search and rescue missions in hostile territories (C-SAR).

Their new equipment includes an electronic countermeasures system, integrated into the H225M by Brazilian professionals and flight tested locally by pilots of both Helibras and the Brazilian Air Force.

The operating configuration also incorporates certain features that increase the helicopter’s range, such as an additional fuel tank at the rear of the cabin and the presence of an in-flight refueling system (REVO). The REVO allows the H225M to be supplied by another aircraft during a mission without the need to land or interrupt the flight. It is expected that the system will be used in a flight campaign to be held in 2016, in collaboration between Helibras, Airbus Helicopters and the Brazilian Air Force.

"The delivery of the operational versions is a big step for Helibras,” said Richard Marelli, recently nominated as the new president of Helibras. “This phase of the program was quite a challenge for our engineering teams, who had to integrate complex systems, such as the in-flight refueling system, currently available only in three other countries. I believe that the achieved result further qualifies our company and serves as proof of our technological and innovative capacities."

Like all Brazilian H225M, these three new aircraft can be operated using night vision goggles (NVG). Pilots can receive training for this equipment thanks to the Full Flight Simulator at the Helibras Training Center in Rio de Janeiro. 

With this delivery, the three armed forces have received 22 aircraft of the total of 50 units included in the contract. The 28 remaining aircraft are to be delivered by 2022.