Germany to expand H145M light combat helicopter fleet for Air Force readiness.

Germany’s budget committee is preparing to approve a defense bundle that includes 20 Airbus H145M light combat helicopters, roughly €1 billion for 100,000 night-vision devices from Hensoldt and Theon, and more IRIS-T SLM missiles. The move rounds out Berlin’s framework for up to 82 H145Ms, accelerates night and air defense capacity, and signals steady momentum in the Bundeswehr’s modernization drive.

A government paper cited by Bloomberg and seen by Reuters indicates that Germany’s parliament will clear more than €3 billion in acquisitions in a closed-door committee this week, anchored by 20 additional Airbus H145M helicopters valued near €1 billion and a mass buy of night-vision devices from Hensoldt and Theon, with further IRIS-T SLM missiles for ground-based air defense also in the mix. The 20-aircraft tranche completes a 2023 framework that permits up to 82 H145M, of which 62 are already firm, with deliveries of the new batch expected in the 2027 to 2029 window.
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The H145M is a compact, twin-engine helicopter powered by two Safran Arriel 2E turboshafts with full authority digital engine control (Picture source: Bundeswehr)

The choice aligns with a rotorcraft roadmap already underway. Germany received the first H145M in the “Leichter Kampfhubschrauber” configuration in November 2024 and has been building a mixed fleet that covers training, light attack, reconnaissance, and special operations support. Airbus confirms the up-to-82 framework with seven years of support, while aviation trade coverage notes deliveries in motion and a firm baseline of 62 plus 20 options now moving to conversion. The additional 20 brings volume, simplifies sustainment, and keeps the line hot at Donauwörth.

The H145M is a compact, twin-engine helicopter powered by two Safran Arriel 2E turboshafts with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). Airbus lists a fast cruise of about 241 km/h, a standard-tank range near 637 km, and endurance of around three and a half hours. Published data puts the maximum takeoff weight at 3,800 kg, useful load near 1,900 kg, and sling capacity at roughly 1,600 kg, with seating for two crew plus up to ten troops. Those numbers matter for dispersed basing, infil-exfil tasks, and rapid reconfiguration between troop transport, CASEVAC, and armed overwatch.

Weapons integration is a core differentiator. The H145M uses Airbus’s HForce modular weapon system, allowing staged fit from ballistic pods to guided effects. Industry testing has demonstrated Spike ER2 integration on the type, opening a standoff anti-armor option beyond 70 mm guided rockets and podded cannon. For a light platform, that combination creates a credible precision-strike envelope at modest cost and with a logistics footprint far below heavy attack types.

The military H145M variant is night-vision goggle compatible and built around the Helionix digital cockpit with a 4-axis autopilot that reduces crew workload. Airbus highlights crashworthy seats, self-sealing fuel tanks, and the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor for handling and signature management. These attributes, combined with a small rotor diameter and low acoustic profile, are useful for emissions control (EMCON) and surprise at low altitude.

Understanding the operational payoff requires a look at what Germany fields today. The Luftwaffe already operates 15 H145M LUH SOF for special operations out of Laupheim, a fleet praised for availability and mission flexibility. The Army’s heavier work is carried out by the NH90 TTH in the air-assault and utility roles, while the legacy Tiger UHT, delivered in dozens under the OCCAR program, is being phased out without the Tiger MkIII upgrade and is slated for retirement within the next decade. In this context, a larger H145M cohort replaces complex attack inventory with a lighter, more numerous, and easier-to-sustain force that still retains precision effects.

Tactically, twenty more aircraft change the calculus at the brigade level. A broader H145M pool allows true surge capacity for escort, armed reconnaissance, and convoy overwatch while keeping a steady availability rate for pilot currency and training. Cabin modularity supports fast-rope kits for the KSK and other SOF, litters for CASEVAC within the golden hour, and compact electro-optical turrets for ISR cueing. When paired with road-movable IRIS-T SLM fire units and their associated multi-function radar, the helicopter force gains a protective bubble that reduces exposure to cruise-missile or loitering-munition harassment during forward arming and refueling operations. In German service, IRIS-T SLM batteries frequently deploy with Hensoldt’s TRML-4D AESA radar, which can track well over a thousand targets, with quoted fighter-type track ranges beyond 120 km. The combined effect is a tighter common operational picture (COP) and recognized air picture feeding higher-echelon command posts.

The night-vision tranche is part of the same operational logic. A 100,000-unit buy equips maneuver units, enablers, and training establishments at scale, pushing routine night moves from a niche skill to a default mode of operation. The contract value around €1 billion reflects not just optics but training and sustainment lines for a generation of soldiers adapting to persistent night operations. The volume and the vendors match the Bloomberg and Reuters document summaries released this weekend.

On the industrial side, the package supports the base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD) in Germany. Airbus secures multiyear throughput on a type exported across NATO, which helps spare parts pools and interoperability. Hensoldt, already scaling radar and optronics output for air defense, benefits from the night-vision award and from ongoing TRML-4D orders in Europe. The helicopter workshare, training pipelines, and common avionics architecture reduce offsets and sustain a skilled labor base while keeping costs predictable for the defense ministry.

Berlin signals consistency in its rearmament path rather than a one-off surge. The helicopter increment, the IRIS-T SLM missiles, and the mass fielding of night-vision devices each address different gaps exposed by Ukraine’s war and NATO’s new force model. Lighter armed helicopters will not replace all functions of a heavy gunship, yet they increase presence, tempo, and resilience across Germany’s corps-level tasks from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Combined with allied inventories using the H145 family and IRIS-T derivatives, the move deepens interoperability, improves time-to-task, and strengthens layered air defense for critical infrastructure and maneuver forces.