On Thursday, 4 September 2025, on the third day of the 33rd International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) at Targi Kielce, the European company Airbus Helicopters (part of the Airbus Group) signed an industrial cooperation agreement (Memorandum of Understanding, MoU) with the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and its subsidiaries, including Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1, Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów, Mesko, as well as with the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL) – a state research and development institution.
Photo: Airbus Helicopters
The agreement will set the framework for cooperation between Airbus Helicopters, PGZ, and ITWL in the area of servicing and outfitting H145 helicopters at WZL-1, introducing Polish solutions into the H145, and developing new sovereign capabilities for the Polish Armed Forces.
“The partnership with PGZ is a fundamental step that will allow us to develop cooperation that provides Poland not only with strategic defense autonomy, but also with the best possible product in the form of the H145M,” said Ludovic Boistot, Head of Sales for Eastern Europe and the CIS at Airbus Helicopters. “Airbus Helicopters is the ideal partner for Poland. Our global experience in similar projects fits perfectly with the Polish government’s defense procurement goals: ensuring autonomy and interoperability for the Polish Armed Forces while supporting technology transfer and continuous development of Polish industry.”
“PGZ, together with the companies dedicated to the project and ITWL, performing their statutory tasks, is prepared to cooperate with Airbus Helicopters in order to jointly offer the Polish Armed Forces the best possible solution. We will strive to acquire the competencies necessary for broad involvement of PGZ companies and for Polish integration of the ‘Integrated Training System for Combat Helicopter Pilots,’ in the scope of equipping helicopters with armament and supporting the user by building MRO capabilities at WZL-1 in Łódź,” added Piotr Zawieja, Vice President of the Management Board of PGZ.
It is worth recalling that on May 15 of this year, Airbus Helicopters, together with the British company Babcock International and the Canadian CAE Inc., signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in offering a comprehensive training package composed of the H145M and associated training services to the Polish Air Force, which is seeking a supplier of 24 training helicopters under the program for acquiring an integrated training system for combat helicopter pilots.
On June 13 of this year, Babcock International signed another Memorandum of Understanding with the Polish Air Force University (LAW) in Dęblin. It provides for joint research and development projects for the Polish Armed Forces, which will enable new flight training scenarios within the new Babcock Immersive Training Experience (BITE) tool, connected with the H145M offer.
Meanwhile, on June 30, WZL-1 and Airbus Helicopters signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation on the H145M during the recent 55th International Paris Air Show.
Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
Airbus H145
The latest version of Airbus’s bestselling H145 uses an innovative five-blade rotor that increases the helicopter’s useful load by 150 kg. The simplicity of the new hingeless main rotor design facilitates maintenance tasks, improves serviceability and aircraft reliability, and enhances flight comfort for both passengers and crew.
Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system and Helionix digital avionics. It features a highly capable four-axis autopilot that improves safety and reduces pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic signature makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class, and its CO₂ emissions are the lowest among competitors.
Recently, Airbus Helicopters delivered the first of six new H145s to the United Kingdom, the first of three H145s for the Lithuanian Border Guard, and earlier the first of 42 H145s for France’s Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories, as well as the first two of four H145D3s for the Ministry of Defense of Honduras. In September of last year, Indonesia’s Air Force ordered four H145s, and in December Bahrain ordered nine.
On December 6, 2024, it was announced that the 2,000th aircraft of the H145 family had been delivered to an undisclosed customer, and on December 9 it was reported that the 1,000th aircraft of an undisclosed type equipped with Helionix avionics had been delivered.
The militarized variant is designated H145M. Recently, the first two were delivered to the National Guard of the Republic of Cyprus and the first of 82 for Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence (which will be armed, among other things, with Euro-GATR guided missiles). Previously, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ecuador, Serbia, Hungary, Brunei, and Ireland had also chosen to procure this variant.
✈️ @AirbusHeli, spółki Grupy PGZ oraz ITWL podpisały porozumienie o współpracy w programie szkolenia pilotów. To kolejny krok w budowaniu silnych kompetencji lotniczych w Polsce.
✍️ W imieniu spółek Grupy PGZ porozumienie podpisał Piotr Zawieja, Wiceprezes Zarządu PGZ. pic.twitter.com/lxmhRLptzl
— Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa🇵🇱 (@PGZ_pl) September 4, 2025