The agreement, finalized with support from France’s armament directorate, will begin the replacement of Romania’s IAR-330 Puma fleet.
Romania has signed a contract to acquire 12 Airbus H225M multirole helicopters, the European manufacturer announced today.
Airbus said Bucharest finalized the agreement with France’s General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) under the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan instrument.
The move follows Romania’s approval in July of the deal, valued at an estimated €757 million ($845 million). At the time, the country said the new aircraft would support attack, reconnaissance, surveillance and tactical-protection missions, as well as specialized airborne-assault operations.
Replacing the Puma fleet
The 12 H225Ms will begin replacing Romania’s IAR-330 Puma fleet. The IAR-330 is a locally produced variant of the Puma, built under an Aerospatiale license, Airbus said.
Romania and Airbus have previously signed SAFE-backed contracts for seven H160 and five H145 helicopters to support public-service missions. The country has also ordered two H215M heavy-lift helicopters customized for naval use, according to the manufacturer.
SAFE underpins a broader defense package
Romania’s total SAFE allocation is worth €16.8 billion, the second-largest in the program after Poland’s. The financing instrument is intended to support “urgent and strategic” defense investments by European Union member states.
According to a government statement in June, Romania has committed €12.5 billion in SAFE funding to other defense programs. These include 298 Rheinmetall-built Lynx KF41 tracked infantry fighting vehicles; seven Skynex and two Skyranger air-defense systems from the German company; two maritime-patrol vessels and two diver-intervention vessels built by NVL; and 34 military drones from Quantum Systems.
