A government document showed that Germany will spend nearly one billion euros ($1.2 billion) to purchase 20 additional military helicopters from Airbus, which are scheduled to be delivered over two years starting in 2027.
Bloomberg was the first to announce this financing commitment, which was contained in a Ministry of Finance document seen by Reuters today (Sunday), and is scheduled to be presented later to Parliament.
The Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the order, saying it could not discuss procurement plans before discussing them in Parliament.
This order complements a 2023 framework agreement that allowed the armed forces to purchase up to 82 Airbus H145M helicopters, 62 of which have already been ordered.
“Hensoldt” is among the beneficiary companies
The total cost of these 20 aircraft is 931 million euros, of which 15 will be for combat purposes and five for special forces training. It will be financed from a special fund established early this year to finance an urgent modernization of the German armed forces.
European governments have been stepping up their defense spending in the face of the growing Russian threat since Moscow’s comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
This German order will benefit many companies involved in equipping helicopters, such as Hensoldt Defense Electronics, which will provide electronic warfare and night vision equipment.
The German government estimates the total cost of maintaining and operating the entire fleet of 82 helicopters at approximately three billion euros until 2048.
