France sealed a contract with Kuwait for the sale of 30 Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal multirole utility helicopters on Tuesday. The $1...
France sealed a contract with Kuwait for the sale of 30 Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal multirole utility helicopters on Tuesday.
The $1.1 billion deal along with associated support and services package, was signed between Kuwait Defense Ministry and Airbus Helicopters during the visit of the French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to the Gulf country.
These multi mission helicopters will equip Kuwait Air Force and Kuwait National Guard to carry out a wide variety of missions such as combat search-and-rescue, naval operations, medical evacuation and military transportation.
The 11 ton rotorcraft which can carry up to 29 troops/personnel in cabin seats can operate from both ships and from land, even in icing conditions.
With its large cabin and two large sliding cargo doors the H225M is a perfect tactical transport helicopter for troops and cargo. It can also carry a maximum of 4750 kg load on external sling.
Caracal's 700 nautical mile range can be extended by air to air refueling which can be performed while in forward flight or during hover.
The helicopter has an all-weather capability supported by state-of-the-art night vision goggle compatibility.
It is powered by two new generation Safran Makila 2B turboshafts rated at 1776 kW each, driving a composite five bladed main rotor with a new airfoil cross section to reduce vibration levels.
The deal was vital for Airbus Helicopters as backlog for the type has depleted and afflicted by grounding of Super Puma, H22M's commercial variant in April, following a fatal crash in Norway which killed all the 13 onboard.
Evidence suggest a potentially catastrophic gearbox fault which resulted in separation of the main rotor from it while flying.
