TSAMTO, March 27th. Airbus Helicopters has completed the assembly of the first three H-145M light attack helicopters for the Cyprus National Guard, designed to replace the Mi-35P.
According to Scramble Magazine, on March 21, the first photos of two H-145M of the Cyprus Air Force (part of the National Guard) appeared online during test flights at Ingolstadt-Manching Airport (Germany).
According to the publication, a total of three H-145M helicopters designed for the National Guard of Cyprus have been identified at the moment: the first with production number 21171 and temporary registration Airbus D–HBKE, the second with tail (military) number 19-55, production number 21249 and temporary registration D-HBKW, the third with tail number 19-56 and temporary registration D-HBKZ.
As previously reported by CAMTO, Airbus Helicopters announced the signing of a contract with the Government of Cyprus for the purchase of six H-145M helicopters for the National Guard of the country on June 24, 2022. The agreement included an option to supply six more helicopters. Information about the cost of the order and the delivery time of the helicopters was not disclosed. Nevertheless, a few days earlier, the Parliament of Cyprus approved the allocation of 53 million euros to finance this project, for which a total of about 140 million euros were planned to be allocated.
As stated, the H-145M provides the ability to perform tasks in difficult conditions day and night, including transporting troops, evacuating the wounded, fire support and reconnaissance.
Cyprus has acquired H-145M helicopters to replace 11 Mi-35P. The Cypriot authorities have decided to remove the Mi-35P from service and put it up for sale in early 2021. The main reasons for this step were problems with the supply of spare parts and maintenance of Russian helicopters, which were aggravated by EU sanctions.
In fact, the National Guard did not properly maintain the Mi-35P helicopters, and the Cypriot authorities were under constant external pressure due to the presence of Russian weapons, which the American and European allies persistently offered to transfer to Ukraine.
In April 2021, the technical condition of the Cypriot Mi-35P was assessed by a delegation of the Serbian Ministry of Defense. In May of the same year, the Serbian Ministry of Defense sent a letter of interest in buying 11 helicopters and requested a commercial offer for their sale. Presumably, the cost of 11 Mi-35P helicopters was estimated at 150-300 million euros.
According to a number of European media reports, on November 18, 20 and 21, 2023, an AN-124 (UR-82008) aircraft of the Ukrainian Antonov company made several flights between Paphos Airport in Cyprus and the aviation base in Batajnica (Serbia). It was assumed that the plane delivered 11 Mi-35P attack helicopters to Serbia. The delivery was confirmed when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic personally inspected the cars received from Cyprus on November 23, 2023.
The H-145M is a military version of the H–145 light twin-engine civilian helicopter, which has been in operation since 2014. The latest version of the helicopter is equipped with an innovative five-bladed main rotor, which increases the mass of the transported payload by 150 kg. The design of the new main rotor also simplifies maintenance.
Equipped with the HForce weapon system, the H-145M can be used as a light attack helicopter. The armament includes cannons, guided and unguided missiles. He got the opportunity to interact with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles and integrate into the network combat space.
The H-145M is equipped with two Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines with a digital control system (FADEC). The helicopter is equipped with a digital Helionix avionics kit with a powerful 4-axis autopilot, which significantly reduces the burden on pilots. The low noise level makes the H-145 one of the "quietest" helicopters in its class.