Belgium’s first Airbus H145M light helicopter completes first test flight in Germany
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Belgium’s first H145M completed its initial test flight at Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth on November 14, 2025, marking the beginning of the certification and acceptance process that precedes delivery of the Belgian Defence and Federal Police fleet from 2026 onward.
On November 14, 2025, the Belgium Air Force’s first H145M light utility helicopter carried out its initial test flight from Airbus Helicopters’ site in Donauwörth in Germany. This flight opened the way for the remaining test campaign that precedes handover to Belgian Defence and the Federal Police. In Belgian service, the H145M helicopter will be used for troop transport, medical evacuation, firefighting support, and operations in support of special forces. The first deliveries to Beauvechain Air Base are expected in 2026, and the fleet is expected to become operational by the end of 2027 to replace the Agusta A109 Hirundo, which has served since the 1990s.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Belgium ordered a total of seventeen H145M helicopters on June 17, 2024, including fifteen units for the Belgian Defence and two for the Federal Police, with options for three additional police helicopters. (Picture source: Belgian Air Force and Airbus)
The military H145Ms will receive serials RL01 to RL15 and are intended to replace the Agusta A109 Hirundo, which has been in service since the 1990s, as well as the NH90 TTH in the troop transport role, while the police helicopters will progressively succeed the MD900 Explorer fleet that entered service in the mid-1990s and has now accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours. The acquisition is embedded in the Belgian STAR plan and is valued at around €250 million for the Defence component, including initial training, a five-year support package, a starter stock of spare parts, and mission training systems. Belgian technicians have already started a six-week training cycle with two weeks of theoretical instruction, two weeks of hands-on work, and two weeks focused on engines, while the first pilots are expected to start training at Airbus in early 2026, and Belgian instructors are planned to qualify during the summer of 2026. Once deliveries are complete, the Belgian Defence and the Federal Police will share a modern light helicopter that will support both national and international missions.
The H145M belongs to a family of helicopters that traces its origins to the BK117, created under a cooperation agreement between Messerschmitt Bölkow Blohm and Kawasaki Heavy Industries signed on February 25, 1977, which led to the first prototype flight in June 1979 at Ottobrunn. Over time, the BK117 evolved through a series of variants that improved performance, rotor configuration, and cabin volume, and the helicopter division of MBB later merged into larger industrial entities that became Eurocopter and then Airbus Helicopters. With the introduction of the EC145 designation, the helicopter received updated engines, avionics, and structural changes intended to unify the product range, and the EC145 itself subsequently evolved into the H145 with a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor and a five-blade main rotor that improved payload capacity and comfort while reducing vibrations. Throughout this evolution, the BK117 and EC145 families were adopted by operators worldwide for medical evacuation, police, rescue, and utility tasks, and by 2023, more than 1,900 helicopters from the BK117, EC145, and H145 series had been delivered. The H145M emerged as the military variant of this line, with structural provisions, wiring, and mission systems tailored for armed forces and security agencies.
The H145M is equipped with two Safran Arriel 2E turboshaft engines, each producing 828 shp, with full authority digital engine control and the Helionix avionics suite that includes a four-axis autopilot intended to reduce crew workload and support demanding operations in instrument and night conditions. The cockpit is compatible with night vision goggles and features large multifunction displays, digital moving maps, and integrated systems monitoring, while the mission equipment can include an electro-optical and infrared sensor turret, a search and weather radar, a rescue hoist, a cargo hook, and a searchlight. The HForce modular weapon system can be integrated to provide 12.7 mm machine gun pods, 20 mm cannon pods, 70 mm unguided and guided rockets, and, in some user configurations, anti-tank missiles such as Spike ER2, with aiming supported by helmet-mounted sights and electro-optical sights. Self-protection equipment can comprise missile warning receivers, radar warning receivers, chaff and flare dispensers, and ballistic protection around vital components and crew. Medical evacuation kits with stretchers, oxygen systems, and monitoring equipment, as well as mission consoles for police, border security, or search and rescue tasks, allow the aircraft to be configured for a broad spectrum of missions without changing the basic airframe.
In terms of design, the H145M is a twin-engine light utility helicopter with a conventional fuselage and a high-mounted main rotor, combined with a Fenestron tail rotor that reduces the risk of ground strikes and limits external noise. The cabin has a flat floor and wide sliding side doors supplemented by rear clamshell doors, which simplifies the loading of stretchers, equipment, or small vehicles and facilitate fast entry and exit of troops. Crashworthy seats, energy-absorbing landing gear, self-sealing fuel tanks, and structural redundancy are used to improve survivability in case of hard landings or hostile fire, while the compact footprint enables operations from confined urban sites, clearings, or small ship decks. The interior layout is modular and allows rapid reconfiguration between passenger transport, medevac, command and control, and armed patrol configurations, which is essential for operators that use a small fleet for many mission types. Optional equipment, such as de-icing systems and specific engine and rotor settings, allows operations in hot and high environments or cold climates, and the helicopter can be used for both visual and instrument flight, including in challenging weather.
With a maximum takeoff weight typically around 3,800 kilograms and a useful load near 1,900 kilograms, depending on configuration and fuel, the H145M usually carries two crew members and up to nine or ten passengers in transport configuration, or two stretcher patients plus medical staff in a medical evacuation layout, and it can also carry external loads on a cargo hook for firefighting or logistics. Typical cruise speeds fall in the mid 200 kilometres per hour range, with a maximum speed above that level, while the range is on the order of 600 to 650 kilometres and endurance around three and a half hours at standard load and fuel. The service ceiling and rate of climb allow operations at the altitudes required for mountain rescue and tactical missions, and the Fenestron tail rotor and five-blade main rotor contribute to reduced vibration and noise compared with earlier designs, which is relevant for urban and medical operations. Maintenance intervals and modular components are designed to limit downtime and keep operating costs within the levels expected for light utility helicopters in this weight category.
Operators of the BK117, EC145, H145, and H145M families are widely distributed across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and cover both civil and military sectors. In Europe, fleets serve in medical and rescue roles in countries such as Austria and Switzerland, in police and gendarmerie missions in France, Luxembourg, Serbia, and Morocco, and in civil protection tasks in Ukraine, while Luxembourg Air Rescue and the Swiss Rega operate H145 helicopters for emergency missions, including aircraft delivered in 2024 and 2025. The H145M military variant is in service or on order in Germany, which is expanding its fleet toward more than eighty helicopters, in Cyprus to replace Mi 35P helicopters with HForce equipped aircraft, in Ireland through an order for four helicopters to support maritime security, surveillance, and utility missions, and in Brazil where about a dozen aircraft are planned for local assembly under a wider defence funding framework that seeks to allocate two percent of national GDP to defence and direct resources to strategic programmes. Other users operate related variants such as the UH-72 Lakota in the United States for Army and National Guard missions. With Belgium now joining this group through its Defence and Federal Police orders, the H145M and its civil relatives form a widespread light helicopter family used in transport, medical, policing, rescue, and armed roles.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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Belgium’s first H145M completed its initial test flight at Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth on November 14, 2025, marking the beginning of the certification and acceptance process that precedes delivery of the Belgian Defence and Federal Police fleet from 2026 onward.
On November 14, 2025, the Belgium Air Force’s first H145M light utility helicopter carried out its initial test flight from Airbus Helicopters’ site in Donauwörth in Germany. This flight opened the way for the remaining test campaign that precedes handover to Belgian Defence and the Federal Police. In Belgian service, the H145M helicopter will be used for troop transport, medical evacuation, firefighting support, and operations in support of special forces. The first deliveries to Beauvechain Air Base are expected in 2026, and the fleet is expected to become operational by the end of 2027 to replace the Agusta A109 Hirundo, which has served since the 1990s.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Belgium ordered a total of seventeen H145M helicopters on June 17, 2024, including fifteen units for the Belgian Defence and two for the Federal Police, with options for three additional police helicopters. (Picture source: Belgian Air Force and Airbus)
The military H145Ms will receive serials RL01 to RL15 and are intended to replace the Agusta A109 Hirundo, which has been in service since the 1990s, as well as the NH90 TTH in the troop transport role, while the police helicopters will progressively succeed the MD900 Explorer fleet that entered service in the mid-1990s and has now accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours. The acquisition is embedded in the Belgian STAR plan and is valued at around €250 million for the Defence component, including initial training, a five-year support package, a starter stock of spare parts, and mission training systems. Belgian technicians have already started a six-week training cycle with two weeks of theoretical instruction, two weeks of hands-on work, and two weeks focused on engines, while the first pilots are expected to start training at Airbus in early 2026, and Belgian instructors are planned to qualify during the summer of 2026. Once deliveries are complete, the Belgian Defence and the Federal Police will share a modern light helicopter that will support both national and international missions.
The H145M belongs to a family of helicopters that traces its origins to the BK117, created under a cooperation agreement between Messerschmitt Bölkow Blohm and Kawasaki Heavy Industries signed on February 25, 1977, which led to the first prototype flight in June 1979 at Ottobrunn. Over time, the BK117 evolved through a series of variants that improved performance, rotor configuration, and cabin volume, and the helicopter division of MBB later merged into larger industrial entities that became Eurocopter and then Airbus Helicopters. With the introduction of the EC145 designation, the helicopter received updated engines, avionics, and structural changes intended to unify the product range, and the EC145 itself subsequently evolved into the H145 with a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor and a five-blade main rotor that improved payload capacity and comfort while reducing vibrations. Throughout this evolution, the BK117 and EC145 families were adopted by operators worldwide for medical evacuation, police, rescue, and utility tasks, and by 2023, more than 1,900 helicopters from the BK117, EC145, and H145 series had been delivered. The H145M emerged as the military variant of this line, with structural provisions, wiring, and mission systems tailored for armed forces and security agencies.
The H145M is equipped with two Safran Arriel 2E turboshaft engines, each producing 828 shp, with full authority digital engine control and the Helionix avionics suite that includes a four-axis autopilot intended to reduce crew workload and support demanding operations in instrument and night conditions. The cockpit is compatible with night vision goggles and features large multifunction displays, digital moving maps, and integrated systems monitoring, while the mission equipment can include an electro-optical and infrared sensor turret, a search and weather radar, a rescue hoist, a cargo hook, and a searchlight. The HForce modular weapon system can be integrated to provide 12.7 mm machine gun pods, 20 mm cannon pods, 70 mm unguided and guided rockets, and, in some user configurations, anti-tank missiles such as Spike ER2, with aiming supported by helmet-mounted sights and electro-optical sights. Self-protection equipment can comprise missile warning receivers, radar warning receivers, chaff and flare dispensers, and ballistic protection around vital components and crew. Medical evacuation kits with stretchers, oxygen systems, and monitoring equipment, as well as mission consoles for police, border security, or search and rescue tasks, allow the aircraft to be configured for a broad spectrum of missions without changing the basic airframe.
In terms of design, the H145M is a twin-engine light utility helicopter with a conventional fuselage and a high-mounted main rotor, combined with a Fenestron tail rotor that reduces the risk of ground strikes and limits external noise. The cabin has a flat floor and wide sliding side doors supplemented by rear clamshell doors, which simplifies the loading of stretchers, equipment, or small vehicles and facilitate fast entry and exit of troops. Crashworthy seats, energy-absorbing landing gear, self-sealing fuel tanks, and structural redundancy are used to improve survivability in case of hard landings or hostile fire, while the compact footprint enables operations from confined urban sites, clearings, or small ship decks. The interior layout is modular and allows rapid reconfiguration between passenger transport, medevac, command and control, and armed patrol configurations, which is essential for operators that use a small fleet for many mission types. Optional equipment, such as de-icing systems and specific engine and rotor settings, allows operations in hot and high environments or cold climates, and the helicopter can be used for both visual and instrument flight, including in challenging weather.
With a maximum takeoff weight typically around 3,800 kilograms and a useful load near 1,900 kilograms, depending on configuration and fuel, the H145M usually carries two crew members and up to nine or ten passengers in transport configuration, or two stretcher patients plus medical staff in a medical evacuation layout, and it can also carry external loads on a cargo hook for firefighting or logistics. Typical cruise speeds fall in the mid 200 kilometres per hour range, with a maximum speed above that level, while the range is on the order of 600 to 650 kilometres and endurance around three and a half hours at standard load and fuel. The service ceiling and rate of climb allow operations at the altitudes required for mountain rescue and tactical missions, and the Fenestron tail rotor and five-blade main rotor contribute to reduced vibration and noise compared with earlier designs, which is relevant for urban and medical operations. Maintenance intervals and modular components are designed to limit downtime and keep operating costs within the levels expected for light utility helicopters in this weight category.
Operators of the BK117, EC145, H145, and H145M families are widely distributed across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and cover both civil and military sectors. In Europe, fleets serve in medical and rescue roles in countries such as Austria and Switzerland, in police and gendarmerie missions in France, Luxembourg, Serbia, and Morocco, and in civil protection tasks in Ukraine, while Luxembourg Air Rescue and the Swiss Rega operate H145 helicopters for emergency missions, including aircraft delivered in 2024 and 2025. The H145M military variant is in service or on order in Germany, which is expanding its fleet toward more than eighty helicopters, in Cyprus to replace Mi 35P helicopters with HForce equipped aircraft, in Ireland through an order for four helicopters to support maritime security, surveillance, and utility missions, and in Brazil where about a dozen aircraft are planned for local assembly under a wider defence funding framework that seeks to allocate two percent of national GDP to defence and direct resources to strategic programmes. Other users operate related variants such as the UH-72 Lakota in the United States for Army and National Guard missions. With Belgium now joining this group through its Defence and Federal Police orders, the H145M and its civil relatives form a widespread light helicopter family used in transport, medical, policing, rescue, and armed roles.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
