Airbus Helicopters has handed over the first two H145M lightweight multirole helicopters to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), at its Donauworth site. The RTN was the second customer for the militarized H145, following the German army, which has now received three of the 15 that it ordered for special forces duties.
This first pair for the RTN will remain in Germany for the time being, moving to the company’s training center in Manching for pilot instruction. All five should be delivered to Thailand by September. The Royal Thai Army is acquiring another 12 similar helicopters: six H145s (formerly EC135 T2s) direct from Airbus Helicopters and six UH-72A Lakotas built in the U.S. and acquired via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process.
Airbus Helicopters claims that the H145M offers “true multirole capability and low operating costs.” It is powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines which make it “the quietest helicopter in its class,” according to the company. The examples for the RTN have internal long-range fuel tanks, weather radar, an HF radio system and multi-purpose pylons. Standard features include the Helionix digital avionics suite that includes a four-axis autopilot that was developed in-house.