Indonesian Air Force orders four Airbus H145 helicopters

Airbus Helicopters has secured a contract to supply the Indonesian Air Force with four five-bladed H145 airframes, the company announced on 18 September.

Under the contract, Airbus Helicopters will deliver the airframes to Indonesian state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI).

Delivery of the semi-completed airframes will take place at the company's facilities in Bandung in West Java, where PTDI will carry out reassembly, customisation, and the integration of mission equipment for all four units.

No further details on the contract value nor expected delivery dates were provided.

The H145 is a twin-engine light utility helicopter that can carry two crew members and up to nine passengers, depending on the internal configuration employed.

It has a fuselage length of about 6.2 m and a main rotor diameter of about 11 m.

The base model of the aircraft has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of about 3,585 kg, but according to details provided by Airbus Helicopters in its 18 September announcement, the variant provided to Indonesia has had its useful load increased by 150 kg given the five-bladed configuration.

The helicopters will be used for the Indonesian Air Force's training and light search-and-rescue operations, Airbus Helicopters added.