On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, European company Airbus Helicopters (part of the Airbus SE group) announced that it has delivered to the Belgian Ministry of Defence the first of 20 ordered H145M multirole helicopters, which made its maiden flight on November 17 of last year, representing an important milestone in the modernization of the country’s defense and security capabilities.
Photo: Airbus Helicopters
On June 17, 2024, Airbus Helicopters signed a contract with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for the purchase of the aforementioned multirole helicopters for Belgium, which the Belgian Ministry of Defence had approved on May 31 of that year.
The new helicopters will formally enter service with the Air Component of the Armed Forces (Luchtcomponent), where 15 will serve in support of special operations forces and medical evacuation, while 2 will be allocated for tasks supporting the Federal Police (Federale Politie). An option for the purchase of 3 additional police helicopters was also exercised.
“We are proud to celebrate this first delivery to Belgium and are deeply honoured that they are joining a rapidly growing community of European nations that trust the H145M for their most critical operations,” said Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters. “This platform has become the definitive European reference for military multi-mission capabilities. Belgium’s decision to extend their fleet to 20 aircraft is a powerful testament to the deep trust placed in our team and the H145M’s ability to meet today’s evolving security challenges,” he added.
The new rotorcraft are planned to replace part of the 7 NHI NH90 TTH/NFH and all 13 Leonardo AW109 helicopters in the A109BAi variant. First deliveries are now expected in 2027 (instead of 2026), with deliveries to be completed by 2028. The contract budget is 250.82 million EUR. The package is to include helicopters, spare parts and necessary ground support equipment, flight and ground crew training, and five years of logistical support. Two FMS (Flying Model Simulator) class flight simulators will be ordered under a separate procurement.
The selection of the Airbus Helicopters offer was made on the basis of analyses conducted by the Military Procurement Commission (Commission des achats militaires) in the second half of 2022 across the European and North American markets. On January 27, 2023, press reports emerged of a possible purchase of 15 H145M helicopters. On March 8, 2023, the Military Procurement Commission made its final selection.
Among the arguments in favor of selecting the European helicopters was their complementarity with the H145M chosen by neighboring Luxembourg and Germany, whose armed forces are close partners of the Belgian military. The Belgian and German armed forces signed a letter of intent on the possible development of bilateral cooperation in the field of special operations. Approximately 20 H145M helicopters serve in the Bundeswehr, most of them supporting special forces. The purchase of 82 additional units was recently approved (previously 64 were planned). A similar agreement was concluded with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which ordered two H145M through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
The H145M is a military multirole helicopter offering the capability to perform a wide range of missions. Worldwide, over 2,000 H145 family rotorcraft have been delivered, accumulating 8.5 million flight hours to date. These helicopters are used by ground forces, air forces, and law enforcement agencies around the world in the most demanding missions. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system. It features Helionix digital avionics which, combined with innovative flight data management solutions and an efficient four-axis autopilot, significantly reduce pilot workload during mission execution. A particularly low acoustic signature makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class.
In addition to the above-mentioned operators, the militarized H145M variant has been ordered by Ecuador, Serbia, Hungary, Brunei, Ireland, and Cyprus, and is currently being offered to Poland in cooperation with local industry under the program for 24 training rotorcraft within the acquisition of an integrated combat helicopter pilot training system. Furthermore, the US Army operates nearly 500 H145 family helicopters under the designation UH-72 Lakota.
First H145M delivered to Belgium! Part of a 2024 contract via NSPA for the Belgian armed forces and Federal Police. Belgium has also exercised an option for 3 more aircraft, bringing the total order to 20 multi-role helicopters. 🇧🇪🚁 https://t.co/1L5z6uLkxd
— Airbus Helicopters (@AirbusHeli) June 24, 2026
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