Airbus Unveils New H125 Military Variants

Airbus Helicopters has unveiled two new U.S.-made military variants of its H125 single-engine helicopter, targeting an international market of potential operators that would prefer an American-produced attack and multirole aircraft.

The attack AH-125 and multirole MH-125 Ares are based on the widely popular H125 family of helicopters, and would be made at Airbus’s Columbus, Mississippi, facility with weapons installation handled by MAG Aerospace.

“Today there’s not a single-engine aircraft in the market that offers international users that easily reconfigurable and multimission capability,” says Scott Tumpack, Airbus Helicopters vice president of military programs. “We see what we are calling the AH-125 and MH-125 as capabilities that uniquely address what’s an open, niche market.”

Since the helicopters would be produced in Mississippi, they are eligible for Buy America and access to foreign military financing, with sales either through Foreign Military Sales or Direct Commercial Sales. Since the U.S. Army has clearly laid out its future through the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft and Future Attack Reconnaissance programs, Airbus does not see a potential for a domestic program.

The AH-125 and MH-125 are in addition to the existing H125M military version of the H125, with that variant already fielded widely in both attack and special operations configurations with 270 aircraft delivered. The H125M is derived from the Tiger platform, using guided weapons and helmet-mounted sights for anti-armor missions.

“Basically we see two variants within our stable that are able to address different parts of the market,” Tumpack says.

For the attack variant, Airbus is planning a 12.7-mm gun and unguided rockets with growth potential up to guided weapons with a single weapons station. The helicopter has four seats inside with the plan to operate most missions with the doors closed, though there is a potential for two special operators on the side for a total of eight with a fast rope capability. For search and rescue, the helicopter can be outfitted with a search light, cargo swing and hoist.

Airbus would not specifically outline campaigns for the new helicopter, though Tumpack says it is targeted for militaries that want cost efficiencies, operational efficiencies and multiple missions with one platform.

“The overall global security situation remains in flux and there’s a lot of places around the world where we see emerging demand for rotorcraft weapons systems and attack and special ops, search-and-rescue configurations and we have developed a product suitable to address those demands,” he says.