Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), a part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), has awarded a £33.6m ($44.9m) contract to Airbus Helicopters in the UK for the initial support and servicing of six H145 helicopters.
In April 2024, DE&S placed a £122m order for these aircraft to support military operations such as jungle training, emergency response, and aerial firefighting.
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The maintenance and support contract, spanning two years, directly supports 30 jobs, with roles distributed between Airbus’ Oxford site, where there are 12 positions, Cyprus, which has ten positions, and Brunei, which has eight positions.
DE&S rotary wing and uncrewed air systemsdirector Mark Langrill said: “This contract will further strengthen our support to UK Armed Forces. Airbus Helicopters UK continues to demonstrate its value as a key partner to the MoD and is on track to deliver the six new H145 aircraft and the associated support, in line with our very tight timeline of two years from contract signature to the forthcoming deployment of this critical capability. We are delighted to be supporting UK jobs and national security through our joint mission.”
The six H145 helicopters will be designated as Jupiter HC2s while in service.
They will be operated by the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) 84 Squadron in Cyprus to provide emergency response and aerial firefighting capabilities.
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By GlobalDataMeanwhile, 667 Squadron of the Army Air Corps in Brunei will use them for jungle training missions.
Two of the H145s were handed over to the MoD recently, bringing the total delivered so far to three after an initial transfer that took place in May 2025.
Training flights to qualify instructional staff are set to begin in the UK shortly, ahead of the first aircraft being sent to Brunei in February and to Cyprus in March.
Refurbishment and preparation work is underway at both locations to accommodate Army and RAF personnel alongside Airbus staff.
All aircraft are scheduled to arrive at their assigned locations by the end of June 2026.
Each of the six helicopters will undergo modification at Airbus Helicopters UK prior to deployment to their operational bases.
The new H145 fleet will replace duties previously performed by Puma HC2s, which have now been retired.
Each aircraft is 13.64 metres (m) long and can reach a maximum take-off weight of 3,800 kilograms (kg).
