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World Defense & Security News - Airbus Helicopters
 
 
Airbus Helicopters' H225M Caracal successfully passed Polish army tests
 
Airbus Helicopters' H225M Caracal utility helicopter, preliminarily selected by Poland in a $3 billion tender, has passed army tests, a prerequisite for opening formal negotiations for the purchase of 50 helicopters, the Polish army said on Wednesday, May 27. The H225M has been selected by Poland for its medium-lift utility helicopter programme on 21 April.
     
Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal at the Polish 33 Air Base in Powidz
(Polish MoND)
     
"The presented helicopter has met the requirements set by the armed forces as well as those described by the producer," General Miroslaw Rozanski told reporters at the Powidz Air Base.

He said that negotiations with Airbus could start in June and would last 90 days. Poland Ministry of National Defense will negotiate the contractual provisions of the contract, with the Ministry of Economy negotiating the offset package attached to the programme.

Deliveries of the Caracal are scheduled to begin in 2017, with the type set to replace Poland's aging fleets of Mil Mi-8/17 'Hip' utility and Mi-14 'Haze' ASW helicopters.

The H225M is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 2A turboshaft engines, each providing 1,800kW power, an increase of 14% over the previous 1A2 engine version.

The H225M carries a strong “punch” when called on, ready for everything from front-line missions to critical logistics support. Qualified armament includes a 7.62 mm machine gun in the forward cabin windows; along with 180-round 20 mm gun pods and 19-tube 2.75-in. rocket launchers.

Included in the mission avionics are a flight management system with Doppler, GPS satellite navigation and SAR (search and rescue) modes; a digital moving map; a personal locator system; a loud speaker and a searchlight, among others.