Romania will acquire 12 Airbus H225M multirole military helicopters, beginning the replacement of its existing IAR-330 Puma helicopters used for conventional and special operations. According to Airbus’s announcement on 7 October, the Romanian government concluded the agreement with the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) under the European SAFE instrument.

The Romanian Air Force currently operates IAR-330 Puma helicopters, manufactured locally under licence from France’s Aérospatiale. The introduction of the H225M will mark the start of this fleet’s renewal, alongside continued industrial cooperation between Airbus and Romanian helicopter manufacturer IAR. The contract value, delivery schedule and details of the ordered helicopters’ configuration were not disclosed in the announcement.

Airbus Helicopters CEO Matthieu Louvot said Romania’s selection of the H225M would strengthen both its defence capabilities and its domestic industrial capacity through the long-standing partnership with IAR. Airbus has operated in Romania for more than twenty years, with its local helicopter customer centre providing support and services to domestic and international customers.

The procurement is being carried out through SAFE, a European Union financial instrument intended to accelerate member states’ defence investments and support the European defence industry. It focuses on major and urgent investments aimed at addressing critical capability gaps.

This is the second contract between Romania and Airbus Helicopters under the instrument. An earlier order covered seven H160 and five H145 helicopters for public service missions. Romania has also previously ordered two H215M helicopters in a naval configuration.

According to Airbus, more than 350 H225 and H225M helicopters are in service, having accumulated over one million flight hours. The manufacturer says the military H225M variant has been deployed in combat conditions and crisis areas worldwide. Existing customers include France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore and Thailand.