The two Airbus H225s in Ecuador. (Ecuadorian Army)
The Ecuadorian Army accepted delivery of two Airbus H225 (AS332) Super Puma helicopters on 5 March. Ecuador purchased five H225s in 2023 for USD90 million in a deal including logistics and spare parts.
Delivery of the first helicopters was delayed by approximately three months due to delays in Ecuador's advance payment, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defence reported at the time. The helicopters received registrations AAE-470 and AAE-471.
The helicopters, although sourced directly from manufacturer Airbus, were previously operated by Ukraine, and are being delivered with approximately 2,000 hours of flight time. Adaptation work to bring them to modern H225 standards was carried out at Airbus facilities in Romania.
The H225s are likely to be employed on search-and-rescue and medical transport missions, according to the army.
According to Airbus, the helicopters can carry up to 19 passengers, with a sling load of up to 4,750 kg and a maximum take-off weight of 11,000 kg. They can fly as far as 1,119 km and reach maximum speeds of up to 262 km/h, powered by two Safran Makila 2A1 engines. They are expected to remain operational through 2050.
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