Romania orders H225M helicopters
Seen at Marignane in Hungarian markings prior to delivery, the H225M has now been ordered by Romania also. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
Romania has signed a contract for the procurement of 12 Airbus Helicopters H225M Super Puma rotorcraft, the manufacturer announced on 7 October 2026.
The agreement was concluded with the French Directorate General of Armament (Direction Générale de l'Armement: DGA) procurement agency in the frame of the European Commission's Security Action For Europe (SAFE) programme.
The Romanian Air Force (RoAF) currently operates 57 IAR 330 Puma helicopters that it built locally under licence, while the Romanian Navy operates three such helicopters as well as a pair of H215M Super Pumas. The 12 H225Ms will initiate the replacement of the Puma fleet for conventional and special operations.
Neither the value of the H255M contract nor the delivery timeline was disclosed.
As noted by Airbus Helicopters, this is the second contract signed with Romania the frame of the SAFE initiative, with seven H160 and five H145 rotorcraft recently ordered for public services missions.
There are more than 350 H225s and H225Ms in service, totalling more than one million flight hours. The twelve H225M customers include Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Thailand.
Speaking to Janes and other defence media at Airbus Helicopters' Marignane production facility in Southern France, the head of the Super Puma programme, Michel Macia, spelled out the latest developments for the platform as they relate to the wider military market.
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