Airbus Helicopters is developing new U.S.-designed armed and multi-mission military configurations of its H125, known as the AH-125 and MH-125 Ares.

During a media briefing on April 24, Scott Tumpak, vice president of military line of business at Airbus U.S. Space and Defense, told reporters that the new offerings will be equipped with militarized options for military and parapublic partners to perform a range of missions, including light attack, disaster response, search-and-rescue (SAR), casualty evacuation, and other parapublic missions.

“We see a lot of armed forces around the world go for secondary or seasonal missions,” Tumpak said. “An example is firefighting or disaster response where this aircraft, compared to some other dedicated light attack aircraft, could be an asset for those mission.”

Both variants will include an existing off-the-shelf communications and navigation suite, with air traffic control radio, military radio and Garmin avionics. The variants are also equipped with a 15” EO/IR sensor option, a downlink/uplink system for data sharing, and cockpit and cargo area ballistic protection.

Airbus is referring to the AH-125 as its armed variant of the helicopter. Its base configuration will include a .50-caliber (12.7-millimeter) gun and unguided rockets, installed to allow for doors-on flight throughout the mission. It will also be capable of holding precision-guided weapons based on customer requirements.

MAG Aerospace will be designing and manufacturing the aircraft’s flexible weapons capability, allowing for rapid reconfiguration between mission sets. In fact, Airbus claims operators can convert to various military and parapublic operations in less than 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the MH-125 Ares variant — designed for multiple missions — will be capable of carrying up to four internal and four external operators. Features include a fully integrated fast rope, searchlights, cargo swing, floats and a 600-pound (272-kilogram) capable hoist.

“We [develop] the only single-engine aircraft that has a hoist capability outside of the skids as opposed to through the skids, which is a vastly preferable way to operate a search-and-rescue mission,” Tumpak told reporters.

“There’s not a single-engine aircraft on the market that offers international users an easily reconfigurable and multi-mission capability,” Tumpak added. “We see the AH-125 and the MH-125 as capabilities that uniquely address what’s an open niche in the market.”

The new types will leverage the H125’s existing production line at Airbus’s Columbus, Mississippi, facility, and will be available through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) for customers looking for a U.S.-made product

Tumpak said Airbus has gleaned feedback from existing customers to help inform these new offerings, and while the company remains tight-lipped on its first launch customers, Tumpak confirmed Airbus is targeting the export market.

“The overall global security situation remains in flux, and there’s a lot of places around the world where we see emerging demand for rotorcraft weapons systems, attack, special ops, [and] the search-and-rescue configurations,” he said.

With Airbus’s 30 customer support centers, 19 training and simulation centers, 92 service centers, and four technical support hubs, the company said it’s prepared to provide customers with parts availability and technical support on the new offering.

“Anywhere around the world, you are never very far at all from parts support or training, and then with our four technical hubs spread across multiple time zones, it’s basically 24/7 support and/or your local support via Latin America, Africa, or Asia,” Tumpak said.

He said the new offerings represent the latest evolution of Airbus’s H125 family of helicopters, which account for almost 80 percent of the single-engine market. With more than 7,000 aircraft delivered to 2,014 customers around the world, the H125s have accumulated more than 38 million flight hours.  

Boasting a useful load of 2,386 pounds (1,082 kilograms) and maximum external takeoff weight of 6,172 lb (2,800 kg), the H125 holds records for performing well in hot and high environments. This includes achieving the highest helicopter flight in history at 42,500 feet (12,954 meters) and the highest landing in history at 29,029 ft. (8,848 m).