Airbus Delivers First H145 Helicopter for British Military Ops in Brunei, Cyprus
The UK Ministry of Defence has received the first of six H145 helicopters that will support British troops deployed in Brunei and Cyprus.
The light utility systems, to be assigned as the “Jupiter HC2s,” were procured by London in 2024 from Airbus’ UK segment in Oxford.
Each platform will take over the roles of the Puma HC2s, whose decommissioning began in March after more than five decades of service.
The incoming H145s will be distributed to the British Army Air Corps 667 Squadron in Brunei and the Royal Air Force 84 Squadron in Cyprus, where they will undertake austere environment training and aerial firefighting operations.
Flight trials and other necessary evaluations of the initial Jupiter HC2 are now being conducted at Boscombe Down in Amesbury.
“We are extremely proud to be handing over the first of this additional batch of H145 Jupiter helicopters, fully role-equipped at our Oxford factory barely a year after receiving the order for the aircraft,” Airbus Helicopters UK Managing Director Richard Atack stated.
“The additional capability provided by the five-blade rotor on the Jupiter HC2 makes it the ideal helicopter to replace the Airbus Puma HC2 in these critical and demanding roles in Cyprus and Brunei.”
The H145 System
The H145 measures 14 meters (46 feet) long, has a rotor diameter of 11 meters (36 feet), a capacity for up to 10 personnel, and a payload rate of 1,900 kilograms (4,189 pounds).
It can be equipped with mounted machine guns, multi-domain missiles, rockets, and support guns.
It is powered by two shaft engines with 894 horsepower each for a speed of 130 knots (240 kilometers/149 miles per hour), a range of 680 kilometers (423 miles), and an operational altitude of 6,100 meters (20,013 feet).
Military Helicopters in Cyprus
Last March, Cyprus accepted its first two H145s in the military configuration as part of a 2022 contract awarded to Airbus.
Nicosia will receive a total of six helicopters for the Cypriot National Guard, the country’s armed forces, with the remainder to be shipped later in 2025.
