Airbus Helicopters has been contracted by joint venture SkyAlyne to provide 19 H135 trainers to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as part of Ottawa’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme.

SkyAlyne – jointly owned by CAE and KF Aerospace – was selected by Canada in May this year as the winner of the FAcT contest, which will see it supply fixed- and rotary-wing training over the next 25 years.

FACT H135-c-Airbus Helicopters

Source: Airbus Helicopters

The RCAF will receive 19 of the German-built light-twins

Included in the C$11.2 billion ($8 billion) agreement is the procurement of 70 new training aircraft, including the H135s.

Airbus Helicopters builds the light-twins at its facility in Donauworth, Germany, but those destined for RCAF service will be completed at – including receiving customer-specific modifications – and delivered from its site in Fort Erie, Ontario.

Deliveries are expected to start in the first half of 2026. The H135s will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206 engines. 

In addition to the rotorcraft, Airbus Helicopters will provide a support and services package, support for a ground-based training solution and engineering services.

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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