https://www.janes.com/defence-intellige ... rotorcraftThe Belgian Air Force officially took delivery of its first Airbus Helicopters H145M multirole rotorcraft on 23 June 2026.
The first of 15 new helicopters for the Belgian Defence Forces was received into at Beauvechain Air Base during a ceremony attended by the Minister of Defence, Theo Francken. With a further five H145 helicopters contracted for the Federal Police, deliveries will continue at a rate of one to two per month until mid-2027.
To date, 10 Belgian pilots have already been trained on the type in Germany. A total of 16 pilots are expected to complete their training there before Belgian instructors take over at Beauvechain to continue the programme.
Eventually, the H145M will replace the last nine Agusta A109s which entered service in 1990, as well as some of the missions of the four NHIndustries NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTHs) being retired from service. It will also soon be integrated into the Belgian special forces, following the model used in Germany. For these missions, the aircraft can be fitted with enhanced armament, including a 7.62 mm Gatling gun.
For future armament, a gun pod developed by FN and rocket launcher pods from Thales are currently under consideration. Counter unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capabilities are also being considered, and should involve the acquisition of specific equipment.
For self-defence, the Belgian H145Ms are equipped with missile warning receivers, as well as chaff and flare decoy systems. Their equipment also includes emergency floats, external load hooks, and protective armour.
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