The two H225Ms are the first of eight helicopters ordered in 2021 and will replace Pumas currently in service with French detachments in French Guiana, Djibouti and New Caledonia.
Airbus Helicopters announced on Jan. 17, 2025 the delivery to the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) of the first two of eight H225M helicopters which were ordered in 2021. These helicopters will be used by the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace or AAE) and will replace the SA330 Pumas currently operating in French overseas territories in Guyana, Djibouti and New Caledonia.
Like all newly built H225Ms, the eight French H225Ms (nicknamed “Caracal”) possess state-of-the-art avionics, including the Safran Euroflir 410 EO (Electro-Optical), the Sigma INS (Inertial Navigation System), a Thales TRA6034 (Very/Ultra High Frequency) radio communications suite and the TSC4000 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder.
The Ministry of the Armed Forces’s (MAF) statement on Jan. 16 announced the delivery of the two H225Ms from the DGA to the AAE, mentioning it happened on Dec. 20, 2024. The statement also added that the H225Ms have “new electric winches and new additional orientable headlights for night operations.” Notably, Caracals can also be equipped with an in-flight refueling probe.
“The delivery of these two brand new H225Ms to the French Air and Space Force is very symbolic as France was the first operator of the H225M,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “They have proven on multiple occasions the benefit of this rotorcraft for combat, search and rescue, disaster management and medical evacuation missions.”
The H225M Caracal was commissioned in 2006 as the latest standard in the long line of progressively advanced derivatives originating from the SA330 Puma, which was introduced in service in 1974. As a matter of fact, last year the original Puma celebrated 50 years in the service of the French armed forces.
Airbus delivers two new H225M helicopters to France
Read the press release: https://t.co/qiYrhJ85NH pic.twitter.com/uvUIT8LsBb
— Airbus Newsroom (@AirbusPRESS) January 17, 2025
The SA330, originally developed and produced by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale, was followed by the AS332 Super Puma and the AS532 Cougar, with the latter being exclusively a military variant. These were developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale.
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Later, Eurocopter succeeded Aérospatiale and further upgraded the two helicopters, which became known as the EC225 and EC275, respectively. When Airbus Helicopters took over, the two were once again redesignated as H225 and H225M (the M stands for Military), respectively.
From the Puma to the Caracal
The H225M Caracal entered service with the AAE in 2006, assigned to the EH 1/67 “Pyrenees” helicopter squadron at Cazaux, which operates a fleet of ten aircraft. The type was deployed for its first mission abroad, in Lebanon and Afghanistan, within few months after entering service, while also being employed in “Operation Chammal” in Iraq, the French component of “Operation Inherent Resolve.”
In mainland France, the Caracal flies civilian and military SAR (Search and Rescue), MEDEVAC/CASEVAC (Medical/Casualty Evacuation) and what the French Ministry of the Armed Forces describes as maritime counterterrorism, possibly referring to VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) missions. The Caracal’s defining feature is the in-flight refueling probe, offering range and versatility in diverse mission sets in day/night and all-weather conditions.
For combat roles, the H225M Caracal has MAWS (Missile Approach Warning Sensors) and infrared decoy launchers to increase survivability against SAMs (Surface-to-Air Missiles). It can also be equipped with two M3M .50 machine guns on pintle mounts at the cabin’s windows and a 20 mm HS20 cannon on external pylons.
Until the H225M Caracal was inducted, the SA330 Puma was the preferred asset to conduct these missions, after formally entering service on May 2, 1974, nine years after its first flight on Apr. 15, 1965. On May 2, 2024, an MAF release reported a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Puma’s service in the AEE at the Ventiseri-Solenzara Air Base (BA) 126.
Attended by senior service officials, the MAF recounted the aircraft’s role in a massive civilian search and rescue mission on Aug. 18, 2022 in Corsica, where a violent and unexpected storm sank 90 boats. Crews from the Helicopter Squadron (EH) 01.044 “Solenzara” rescued 15 persons in less than 24 hours.
Currently, the Air and Space Force operates 18 Pumas at air bases in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana in Latin America; Noumea, the capital of the south Pacific’s French territory of New Caledonia; Djibouti in the Horn of Africa; Vélizy-Villacoublay in north-central France; and Solenzara on the French island of Corsica. These are planned to be replaced by the eight new H225Ms.
AEE to benefit from reliable H225M
Airbus mentioned in its statement that the H225M “will contribute to the harmonisation of the French Air and Space Force’s helicopter fleet,” as the replacement of the older SA330s would allow it to standardize the fleet on only one type of medium-lift helicopter. The new Caracals will be used in operational missions, search and rescue and utility missions, says Airbus.
“We are very proud that the French Air and Space Force has renewed their trust in the Caracal,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “The French Air and Space Air Force will benefit from all the innovations that have been implemented on the H225M since the helicopter started operations in 2006 with the French armed forces, further expanding the capabilities of this unique aircraft.”
The over 350 H225s and H225Ms used globally have proven “reliability and durability in combat conditions and crisis areas,” totalling more than 880,000 flight hours with the militaries of France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, the Netherlands, Kuwait, Brazil, and Hungary. The RNLAF (Royal Netherlands Air Force) is set to receive 14 new H225M Caracals to replace its older AS532 Cougars.
