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“After the H145M made its market entry with
the German Air Force at the end of last year, we are very proud that
the Royal Thai Navy has become another operator of the new H145M”,
said Wolfgang Schoder. “The helicopter is the most advanced solution
for the increasingly challenging demands of our military customers in
modern-day missions. It combines state-of-the-art technologies, outstanding
performance and true multi-role capabilities while maintaining very
high versatility and low operating costs.”
The H145M is the military version of the civil H145 that entered service
in mid-2014 and has recently reached the milestone of 15,000 flying
hours in customer operations. With a maximum take-off weight of 3.7
tons, the H145M can be used for a wide range of military operations
including naval, utility, reconnaissance, search and rescue, medical
evacuation and armed scout. The Royal Thai Navy H145M is equipped with
Multi-Purpose Pylons incl. aerodynamic fairings, cargo hooks, hoists,
HF system for SAR operations, weather radar, internal long range fuel
tank system and fixed provisions for future special operations upgrade.
These two H145M helicopters will stay in Germany for pilot training
at Airbus Helicopters’ Training Academy. All helicopters are scheduled
for delivery in Thailand by September 2016.
Designed as a true military multi-role helicopter, the H145M offers
a single platform, which is able to perform day and night missions in
harsh weather conditions and difficult terrain. Its large mission equipment
range, depending on the customer configuration, increases mission flexibility
for military operators. The helicopter’s Helionix® digital
avionics suite – incorporating the in-house developed 4-axis autopilot
– is designed to reduce crew workload while providing high levels
of safety and improved situational awareness. The H145M is powered by
two Turbomeca Arriel 2E equipped with full authority digital engine
control (FADEC). Its low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest
helicopter in its class.
The H145 helicopter family has proven its value for military customers
for many years. For instance, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr),
the launch customer for the H145M, has ordered 15 of these helicopters
in a Special Forces configuration. The third helicopter will be delivered
in the coming days.
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