Along with the contract to procure 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets worth 14 billion euros, the United Arab Emirates in December 2021 also ordered 12 H225M Caracal helicopters from Airbus Helicopters. Based on the agreement, the SAR combat helicopter procurement package reaches a value of 800 million euros.
However, there is shocking news, that the UAE government unilaterally recently canceled an agreement with Airbus Helicopters.
As quoted by Breaking Defense (9/5/2023), "We have recently terminated the contract with Airbus Helicopters for the purchase of the H225M Caracal," said Muammar Abdulla Abusehab, Chairman of the UAE's Tawazun Board in an interview on 8 May.
He added that the UAE found it difficult to proceed with the contract due to high lifecycle costs, then limitations in adapting the modular design to future mission requirements, and complicated technical proposals.
The Tawazun Council is an independent UAE government entity that works closely with the Ministry of Defense and security agencies in the United Arab Emirates, and is tasked, among other things, with the research and development and technological innovation side of the sector.
Abushehab stressed that this cancellation was not related to politics, but purely for financial and technical reasons. “The company (Airbus Helicopters) lacks serious motivation to respond to our demands to meet the government's urgent requirements. Failure to achieve domestic value goals was another factor in the decision to terminate the contract," he said.
In December 2021, the UAE ordered 12 H225M Caracal helicopters during French President Macron's visit to the UAE, with an estimated value of 750-800 million euros. The H225M is the military version of the H225 and can be mounted with a variety of weapons, from machine guns to rockets to anti-ship missiles. This helicopter, which is also operated by the Indonesian Air Force, has been used by 11 countries.
Airbus Helicopters said there were currently 104 H225M Carcals in operation around the world, and accumulated more than 143,000 flight hours. The helicopter completed its maiden flight in November 2000.
So far there has been no response from Airbus Helicopters on the cancellation of the order from the UAE. Tracing from the specifications, the H225M Caracal has a number of advantages over the H215 (formerly AS332) Super Puma helicopter.
Even though they look similar at first glance, the most obvious difference from the H215 and H225/H225M lies in the number of blades (propellers) on the main rotor. The H215 Super Puma still uses four blades, while the H225M Caracal already uses five blades.
Caracal is included in the medium transport helicopter class with the ability to carry 29 soldiers with full weapons, or can have six passengers on stretchers, plus ten other passengers..
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