Duncan Looi
BRUNEI is set to take delivery of their first batch of Airbus Helicopters H145M helicopters in the coming months after the Customer Acceptance Test (CAT) certificate was signed by the Ministry of Defence in Germany. The signing marks a significant milestone in the kingdom’s acquisition of six H145M helicopters in 2024. The first batch is expected to arrive in Brunei this November.
Brunei’s Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II, Halbi Mohd Yussof, was accompanied by Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Commander Maj Gen Muhammad Haszaimi Bol Hassan, Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) Commander Brigadier General Haszahaidi Haji Ahmad Daud and senior officials were present at the ceremony in Airbus Helicopter’s Donauworth facility along with senior company officials. After the ceremony, the Brunei delegation visited Airbus Helicopters’ Training Academy in Augsburg and Donauworth where a group of four RBAirF pilots and eight RBAirF technicians are undergoing training.
Brunei awarded Airbus a contract for six H145Ms before the end of April 2024 to replace the service’s decommissioned Bolkow BO-105 helicopters. The new multi-role helicopters will be used to enhance the RBAirF’s operational capabilities for missions including close air support (CAS) and aerial observation. Thailand operates a number of H145Ms with a number of them being the UH-72 Lakota while Indonesia also ordered four H145s in late 2024 for military pilot training. Airbus Helicopters builds on the momentum of the parent company’s Defence and Space division which completed the RBAirF’s order for four C295MW aircraft in April after successfully delivering the first two aircraft in January 2024.-–shp/adj/dl (Pix:BRUNEI MINDEF)
