Cypriot National Guard Orders H145M Helicopters

Cyprus has signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for the purchase of six H145Ms with an option for another six aircraft.

The five-bladed helicopters will be operated by the Cypriot National Guard.

The H145M is a multi-role light utility military helicopter. Derived from the civil H145, the latest version of the H145M features a new, five-bladed rotor that increases the helicopter's payload by 150 kg. The design of the new bearingless main rotor also simplifies maintenance operations.

Equipped with the Airbus HForce weapons system the H145M can be operated as a light attack helicopter. The weapons range includes guns, rockets and missiles are currently being integrated. Combined with Manned-Unmanned Teaming capabilities and integration into networked combat, its bandwidth makes it the most performant helicopter in its class.

The H145 was developed as a civil model for day and night operations and in the most adverse conditions. It is used by armed forces, police and rescue teams all over the world. It is powered by two powerful Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2E turbines, controlled by the FADEC (full authority digital engine control) system. In addition, the helicopter is equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite and thus offers not only innovative flight data management but also a powerful 4-axis autopilot, which considerably reduces the pilots' workload in their missions. Its particularly low noise emissions make the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class.

The H145M is already in service in Hungary (20), Germany (15), Serbia (9), Thailand (5) and Luxembourg (2). The U.S. Army operates a fleet of more than 460 locally built civil helicopters of the H145 family under the name UH-72 Lakota.