{"id":38159,"date":"2026-10-09T03:27:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T00:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=38159"},"modified":"2026-10-09T03:59:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T00:59:05","slug":"romania-signs-848-million-deal-to-buy-12-h225m-helicopters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/romania-signs-848-million-deal-to-buy-12-h225m-helicopters\/","title":{"rendered":"Romania signs $848 million deal to buy 12 H225M helicopters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

4 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romania has signed a \u20ac757 million (about $848 million) contract with France\u2019s Armament General Directorate (DGA) to acquire 12 Airbus H225M Caracal multi-mission military helicopters, marking the first step in replacing its aging IAR-330 Puma fleet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract was signed under the European Union\u2019s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program and includes initial logistics support and crew training. The first helicopter is expected to be delivered 38 months after the contract is signed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H225M helicopters will be configured for missions including ground attack, reconnaissance, surveillance, tactical protection and specialized airborne assault operations during both day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acquisition will begin the replacement of Romania\u2019s IAR-330 Puma helicopters, a locally produced version of the Puma that has served with the Romanian Air Force for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 12 H225Ms will provide Romania with a newer and more capable heavy military helicopter for conventional and special operations. Romania has also previously ordered two H215Ms in a naval configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H225M is an 11-tonne military helicopter derived from Airbus\u2019 Super Puma family. It is designed for tactical transport, special operations, combat search and rescue, medical evacuation and other missions requiring long range and high payload capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The helicopter can carry up to 28 troops and has a maximum external sling-load capacity of 4,750 kilograms. It has a maximum range of about 920 kilometers with standard fuel tanks, which can increase to about 1,253 kilometers with auxiliary tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Airbus<\/a>
Airbus H225M multirole military helicopters. (Image Credit: Airbus)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The H225M can also conduct air-to-air or hover-in-flight refueling, allowing it to remain airborne for significantly longer missions. It is designed for all-weather operations and is compatible with night-vision equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Combat and Special Operations Capability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H225M gives Romania a broader range of capabilities than a conventional transport helicopter. Its large cabin and two large sliding doors allow rapid movement of troops and equipment, while the helicopter can be configured for medical evacuation, carrying up to 11 stretchers and four medical attendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The helicopter supports fast-roping and rappelling and can be equipped with machine guns for special operations. Its range, payload and ability to operate at night and in difficult weather make it suitable for special forces insertion, tactical mobility and personnel recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform has been used in demanding operational environments by several countries. Airbus says more than 400 H225 and H225M helicopters have been delivered worldwide and the wider fleet has accumulated more than one million flight hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Supporting Romania\u2019s Defense Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract is also part of Romania\u2019s effort to expand domestic defense production and industrial capabilities. Airbus has operated in Romania for more than 20 years and maintains a long-term partnership with IAR, the country\u2019s sole helicopter manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H225M purchase is expected to strengthen this relationship as Romania looks to develop greater local industrial involvement in future helicopter production and support.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Airbus<\/a>
The Airbus H225M multi-mission helicopter. (Image Credit: Chen Chuanren\/ShowNews\/via Aviationweek)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Romania plans to acquire around 30 additional helicopters after 2030 using national funding. The longer-term plan could involve moving H225M production to IAR\u2019s facility in Brasov, creating a larger domestic industrial role around the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Wider Military Modernization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The helicopter acquisition is part of a much broader Romanian effort to modernize its armed forces and replace older Soviet-era and locally produced equipment with modern NATO-standard systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romania has been investing in advanced air defense, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, unmanned systems, and surveillance capabilities. Its modernization plans include the transition toward F-35 fifth-generation fighters, expansion of its PATRIOT air-defense capability, acquisition of Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tanks, and additional systems for surveillance and countering unmanned aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romania has also approved a new military equipment plan for 2027-2036, designed to align long-term procurement with operational requirements and available defense funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country is using the EU SAFE program to accelerate this modernization. Romania has been allocated \u20ac16.68 billion under SAFE, making it one of the program\u2019s largest beneficiaries. The funding is being used for projects including helicopters, air-surveillance radars, ammunition, patrol vessels, infantry fighting vehicles, counter-UAS systems, and air-defense capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H225M contract is Romania\u2019s second major SAFE project with Airbus Helicopters. It follows an order for seven H160 and five H145 helicopters for public-service missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acquisition therefore serves two objectives for Romania: replacing an aging helicopter fleet while adding a modern multi-role platform that can support the country\u2019s wider effort to build a more capable, mobile and NATO-compatible military force.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Airbus<\/a>
H225m multi-role military and transport helicopter. (Airbus Infographic)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romania has signed a \u20ac757 million (about $848 million) contract with France\u2019s Armament General Directorate (DGA) to acquire 12 Airbus H225M Caracal multi-mission military helicopters, marking the first step in replacing its aging IAR-330 Puma fleet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[62,1],"tags":[320,6,357,1058,295,5,52,113],"class_list":["post-38159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","tag-airbus","tag-defense","tag-europe","tag-h225m","tag-helicopter","tag-military","tag-romania","tag-security"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-9Vt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Airbus-H225M-Helicopter.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38159"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38172,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38159\/revisions\/38172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}