Two more Airbus Helicopters H225M (formerly Eurocopter EC725 Caracal) medium, multi-role helicopters arrived in Hungary on Monday, said the defence minister. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also said that with the now-arriving aircraft, the number of H225M helicopters in the Hungarian Defence Forces grew to ten. The ministry had ordered altogether 16 medium-lift transport helicopters from Airbus Helicopters within the framework of the military development program. The new helicopters further strengthen the airlift, airborne and special operations capabilities of the Hungarian Air Force and thus, of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and they also play a role in the training of territorial defence reservist personnel.
Related to the Hungarian year of command with Major General Dr. László Sticz as commander, the HDF provide air search and rescue, MEDEVAC and transport helicopter capabilities to the EUFOR Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The minister recalled that now, when in the neighbourhood of Hungary, a 20th-century type war is going on, the Hungarian government still sees the only solution in an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks. This was the goal of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission, and this is what country call attention to during the six months of the Hungarian EU presidency.
The NATO Summit in Washington D.C. has also shed light on the fact that the Alliance needs strong national armed forces. In this spirit, we need to develop the capabilities of the Hungarian armed forces, including the Hungarian Air Force force, for the security of Hungary and allies. The two new medium, multi-role helicopters with the pilots of the manufacturer left the Airbus factory in France for Hungary in the morning on 15 July. The handover-takeover of the aircraft happened at the Hungarian Defence Forces 86th Helicopter Wing’s base in Szolnok.
The Airbus Helicopters H225M is a long-range tactical transport military helicopter developed from the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar for military use. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 28 seated troops along with two crew, depending on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for troop transport, casualty evacuation, and combat search and rescue duties, and is similar to the civilian EC225 Super Puma. The EC725 can be equipped with various military equipment and armaments, such as a pair of 7.62 mm FN MAG machine guns mounted within forward left and right windows, or a pair of 68 mm (2.75″) Thales Brandt or Forges de Zeebrugge side-mounted rocket launchers, or Hellfire air-to-surface missiles or the MU90 Impact aerial-launched torpedo.
