H145M – Airbus Helicopters tests Spike guided missile in Romania

The European helicopter manufacturer Airbus Helicopters is working on the capability expansion of its HForce mission package for the H145M military helicopter. According to the company, the first tests on the integration of Rafael's Spike ER2 guided missile have started at the Cincu firing range in Romania.

Im Rahmen der so genannten Derisking-Phase seien im Januar erste Untersuchungen unternommen worden, um die Einwirkungen des Flugkörper-Starts auf den Hubschrauber zu bewerten. Der nächste Schritt sei die Integration des Spike-Panzerabwehrflugkörpers in das HForce-System des Hubschraubers.

Ausgerüstet mit dem HForce-System ist die H145M bereits in der Lage, ein 12,7mm-Maschinengewehr, eine 20-mm-Kanone, sowie lasergelenkte und ungelenkte Raketen bis zum Kaliber 70 mm einzusetzen.

So far, users of the H145M are Hungary (20 machines), Germany (15), Serbia (9), Thailand (5) and Luxembourg (2). According to Airbus Helicopters, the machine will also be offered to the Romanian armed forces by long-standing local partner IAR.

lh / editorial office

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