Germany expands its H145M fleet with 20 additional orders
Donauwörth, Germany, 15 December 2025 – Germany has exercised its option to purchase 20 more H145M Leichter Kampfhubschrauber (LKH) light combat helicopters, under a contract originally signed in December 2023. This brings Germany’s total H145M LKH fleet to 82 aircraft.
“We are honored and proud that Germany has chosen to add 20 more H145M LKH helicopters. This renewed commitment from one of our home countries signals strong trust in the H145M’s outstanding performance and its versatile, multi-role capabilities,” stated Stefan Thomé, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Germany.
Delivery of the first H145M LKH to Germany occurred in November 2024, less than a year after the contract was signed, and subsequent units have followed. The helicopter’s missions span training, reconnaissance, special operations, and light attack role. The German Army will receive 72 helicopters, while ten will be allocated to the Luftwaffe’s special forces.
The H145M is a multi-role military helicopter designed for a wide spectrum of missions. It can be quickly reconfigured from a light-attack setup—with axial ballistic and guided weapons and a modern self-protection system—to a special operations configuration featuring rapid rappelling gear. The platform supports comprehensive mission packages, including hoisting and external cargo capability.
As the military version of the proven H145 family, the H145M shares the same lightweight twin-engine foundation. The global H145 fleet has accumulated more than eight million flight hours. Armed forces and law-enforcement agencies around the world rely on it for demanding missions. Bundeswehr already operates H145 variants for special forces tasks and search-and-rescue missions. In the United States, nearly 500 H145 family helicopters operate as UH-72 Lakota, with over 1.5 million flight hours logged. Other current operators include Hungary, Serbia, Luxembourg, Thailand, Ecuador, Honduras, and Cyprus. Recent orders also include Belgium (17), Brunei (six), and Ireland (four) H145Ms.
The H145M is powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines and features full authority digital engine control (FADEC). It is equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite, which, along with advanced flight data management, includes a high-performance four-axis autopilot to reduce pilot workload during missions. Its notably low acoustic footprint helps position the H145M as the quietest helicopter in its class.
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