First two H225M helicopters arrive in Szolnok
Text: honvedelem.hu / MTI | Photo: Sztaniszláv Horváth | 11:21 July 18, 2023On Monday, 17 July the first two Airbus H225M helicopters arrived at the Szolnok airbase of the HDF 86th Helicopter Wing. The Hungarian Defence Forces have placed an order for altogether 16 H225M medium-lift helicopters in the framework of the armed forces development program.
The Wing welcomed the transport-configured rotary-wing aircraft with two jets of water on its area. Piloted by French and Hungarian airmen, the helicopters were received, among others, by Acting Commander of HDF Air Force Command Brigadier General József Koller and Colonel Zsolt Simon, vice-commander of the Szolnok-based unit.
The two helicopters – with side numbers 70 and 71 respectively – were delivered this June at Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane Development Centre in France. The type acceptance testing of the helicopters started in Hungary in 2021, during which special attention was being paid to the characteristics of the configuration, because these medium-lift helicopters were custom-built to meet the needs of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The HDF fleet will receive another 14 H225M helicopters in the framework of the National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program.
Starting from March 2022, experts of the Ministry of Defence were conducting continuous professional consultation with the experts responsible for the design and manufacturing of the helicopter type and for the system of its operation and maintenance. Early this year, this process concluded with a series of type acceptance test flights.
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