Airbus Helicopters has released images of the first of 62 H145Ms being acquired by Germany under its LKH light-attack programme.

Dating from a contract placed in December 2023, delivery of the armed H145Ms will begin later this year.

First LKH-c-Airbus Helicopters

Source: Airbus Helicopters

Germany will acquire 62 armed H145Ms

Airbus Helicopters released the images on its LinkedIn page on the back of a visit to the manufacturer’s Donauworth final assembly line by German politician Marcus Faber, who chairs the Bundestag’s defence committee.

Berlin intends to use the H145Ms as a stop-gap replacement for the army’s Airbus Helicopters Tiger attack rotorcraft. They will also be operated by the air force. Pilot training has already begun, the manufacturer notes.

Last December’s order, which also included 20 options, was the largest ever commitment for the H145M. The new arrivals will add to Germany’s existing inventory of the type: 16 units of the LUH SOF model for special forces missions, and eight of the LUH SAR variant – based on the civil H145 – used for search and rescue operations.

Faber cockpit-c-Airbus Helicopters

Source: Airbus Helicopters

Faber chairs the German parliament’s defence committee

Dominic Perry is deputy editor of Flight International but also contributes extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives.View full Profile

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