GM200 MM/A
According to information released on April 28 this year, when 15 procurement programs under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument were approved from a list published on January 26, Romania planned to acquire 12 medium-range radar systems for 258 million EUR. Media reports indicated that these were to be French GM200-series radars, whose price had not increased despite recent controversy. The value of the order placed with Thales itself is approximately 247 million EUR.
Photos: Thales
Initial deliveries are scheduled for 2027.
Thales emphasizes that it has been a trusted partner in Romania for more than two decades, supporting the modernization of the country’s armed forces and employing more than 850 people there. Romania is also home to one of the group’s global engineering competence centers.
“On behalf of Thales, I would like to sincerely thank the Romanian and French Ministries of Defence for their trust. Our Group fully supports Romania’s ambition to develop long-term industrial capacity and expertise in the radar domain. In the spirit of the SAFE initiative, we will create a Radar Competence Centre to accompany this agreement. We stand ready to expand partnerships with Romanian industry, to strengthen localisation, sustain operational readiness, and contribute to future NATO and European initiatives involving Romania,” said Pascale Sourisse, Senior Executive Vice-President, International Development, Thales.
“These orders are carried out as part of acquisitions managed by France through the FASt (French Acquisition for Strategic partners) mechanism, set up by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) for acquisitions on behalf of and for the account of France’s partner countries. Franco-Romanian cooperation, already very dynamic in its operational dimension, is also strengthened at the capability level by Bucharest’s choice to equip its armed forces with French industrial solutions,” noted Patrick Pailloux, Director General for Armaments.
Operating in the S band, the GM200 can detect targets at ranges of up to 350 km and altitudes of approximately 24,400 m, and track them at distances of up to 100 km. The system is housed in a 20-foot ISO container containing a Power Generator Unit for 24 hours of autonomous operation and an operations cabin for two operators. A deployable mast carrying a three-dimensional AESA radar antenna based on gallium nitride technology is mounted on the roof. The entire system can be transported by truck and made operational within 15 minutes, with teardown taking 10 minutes.
Production of the GM200 began in 2010 following an order from an export customer whose identity was not disclosed at the time. The system was also offered to Poland at the MSPO 2017 defense exhibition in Kielce in support of the Narew short-range air defense program.
More recently, Qatar selected the same GM200 MM/A variant, while Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, and the Netherlands procured the compact GM200 MM/C version. GM200 MM/A radars were also delivered to Ukraine as French military assistance under agreements dated February 1, 2023, and June 7, 2024, as part of a short-range air defense system.
H225M Caracal
Last week, the procurement of 12 H225M Caracal medium multirole helicopters was approved. The program’s original budget was 1.285 billion EUR and covered the acquisition of at least 12 aircraft. A final allocation of 852 million EUR was subsequently approved, of which approximately 757 million EUR will go to Airbus Helicopters. In addition to the helicopters, the agreement includes an initial logistics support package and training for flight and ground personnel.
Photo: Airbus Helicopters
The H225M Caracal helicopters will reportedly be delivered in a configuration tailored for engaging ground targets and capable of conducting assault, reconnaissance, surveillance, and tactical protection missions, as well as specialized day and night attack operations. In practice, this means integration of the HForce weapon system package, whose standard configuration comprises a Rockwell Collins Deutschland FMC-4212 mission computer, a Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display, and weapon-control panels. The armament includes a 12.7 mm FN Herstal HMP400 machine gun mounted in an underwing pod, a 20 mm Nexter NC621 cannon, and a Thales FZ231 launcher for unguided rockets.
Romania currently operates 22 IAR 330L SOCAT fire-support helicopters and 35 IAR 330LM transport helicopters. These are license-built variants of the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. A total of 56 aircraft are operated by the Romanian Air Force, while the Romanian Navy operates three SOCAT helicopters in a maritime configuration, which are to be replaced by two H215Ms.
It is also worth noting that, on June 10 this year, Airbus Helicopters received another order under the SAFE program from the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs for 12 multirole helicopters, comprising seven H160s and five H145s. According to the program list, the ministry planned to acquire seven medium-heavy multirole helicopters with a maximum takeoff weight of 4.5–9 tonnes and five light-medium helicopters in the 3.2–7 tonne category. A competing offer submitted by Italy’s Leonardo, which included the AW139, was rejected.
The H225M Caracal is the military variant of the H225 Super Puma, originally designated the Eurocopter EC725 Caracal. It made its maiden flight on November 27, 2000, and entered service in February 2005. Over the past several months, new aircraft have been ordered by Morocco, with 10 helicopters; the Netherlands, with 12 newly built examples instead of the 14 previously planned; and Iraq, also with 12.
Caracal helicopters have also been exported to Brazil, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, and Hungary. Poland and the United Arab Emirates withdrew from planned procurements. Kazakhstan and India also considered acquiring the type, but no contracts were signed. In January 2025, France began taking delivery of new helicopters, receiving the first two of eight ordered. More than 350 H225 Super Puma and H225M Caracal helicopters have been built (H225 Super Puma and H225M Caracal Helicopters Reach One Million Flight Hours).
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