New Machines to Support Air Force and Navy Operations

Having logged more than 37-million flight-hours across a worldwide fleet of over 5,350 machines, Airbus Helicopters’ H125 (formerly the Eurocopter A S350 Ecureuil/Squirrel) is among the world’s most popular and best-selling single-engine light utility helicopters. Known for its robustness and versatility, the H125 is widely used by both civilian and military operators.

On 16 September 2022, Brazil’s armed forces—through the nation’s Combat Aircraft Program Coordinating Committee (COPAC)—acquired 27 H125 helicopters for purpose of bettering the volume and quality of the rotary-wing training undertaken by the Brazilian Air Force and Navy.

The H125 will be produced by Airbus Helicopters’ Brazilian subsidiary Helibras at the company’s facility in Itajubá—where Helibras also produces the heavy-lift H225M helicopter for Brazil’s armed forces. The new H125s will replace the aging AS350s in service with the Brazilian Air Force, and the Bell 206s flown by Brazil’s Navy.

Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, Commander of Brazil’s Air Force, states: "This joint procurement contract represents the realization of a project that will equip both the Brazilian Air Force and Navy with modern aircraft that will meet the needs of the Forces for the next thirty-years.”

Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even adds: “Airbus Helicopters is proud to see the H125 supporting the training of the next generation of pilots of the Brazilian armed forces. The H125 is a versatile helicopter used widely in both the civil and military markets as a training platform thanks to its ruggedness, reliability, and easy maintenance. We are honored by the continued confidence of the Brazilian armed forces after more than forty-years of cooperation.”

The new H125 helicopters will feature Garmin’s G500H TXi double glass cockpit and VEMD (Vehicle & Engine Multifunction Display). In addition to being compatible with the use of night vision goggles (NVG), the H125s will include mission specific equipment—winches, hooks, etc.—by which future Brazilian military helicopter pilots may train to skill-sets conducive to the functions of their respective branches.

Brazil’s armed forces currently operate a total of 156 Airbus helicopters deployed from eight bases across the vast, South American country. The fleet comprises a gamut of rotorcraft ranging from light single-engine utility helicopters to multi-purpose heavy workhorses the likes of the aforementioned H225M. The expansiveness of Brazil’s geography and the diversity of its ecosystems demand a great deal of the men and machines by which they’re protected, and at whose hands a wide array of tactical, transport, search and rescue, and population support missions are successfully accomplished.

FMI: www.airbus.com