Romania orders 12 Airbus H225M helicopters to replace Puma fleet

Romania has signed a contract to acquire 12 Airbus H225M multirole military helicopters to replace its aging fleet of IAR-330 Pumas. The agreement was finalized through the French defense procurement agency, the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), and is funded via the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program.

The new H225M helicopters will be configured for a variety of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, tactical protection, attack, and specialized day and night airborne assault. They are intended to support both conventional and special operations.

The procurement includes an industrial partnership intended to strengthen Romania’s domestic aerospace capabilities. The Romanian manufacturer IAR Brașov is expected to account for approximately 15% of the overall joint procurement program, fostering local maintenance, support, and manufacturing expertise.