The Indian Ministry of Defence has approved the acquisition of 14 twin-engine heavy helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard. The Airbus H225M, formerly known as Eurocopter EC725, may join the Indian fleet to boost security and strengthen surveillance on the coast, LiveFist revealed in a tweet on Thursday.

These long-rage helicopters are meant to close gaps in coastal surveillance capability exposed by the 26/11 terror attack from the sea on Mumbai in 2008. The Coast Guard is seeking helicopter endurance of over 6 hours for sustained surveillance capability to protect India’s coastline and to monitor its 2 million square km Exclusive Economic Zone. This would be a major upgrade from its current heliborne capability represented by the Chetak and Advanced Light Helicopters.


The Airbus H225M has proven to be a versatile military asset, allowing it to operate in freezing conditions and operate from ships or even land. Thanks to the compatibility of the helicopter and night vision goggles, the H225M can be used in many military operations, including special operations, search and rescue operations, tactical support and evacuation. medical.

According to Airbus, more than 90 aircraft in service have accumulated over 100,000 flight hours. With this reliable helicopter joining the Indian coastguard fleet, here is a quick comparison with the Sikorsky S-92.

MODEL
AIRBUS H225M
SIKORSKY S-92
Capacity
12,500 lb (5,670 kg) payload equivalent to 28 soldiers
19 Passengers
Maximum Take-Off Weight
11,200 kg (24,692 lb)
27,700 pounds (12,568 kg)
Power Plant
2 Turboméca Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines each
2 General Electric CT7-8A turboshaft engines each
Maximum Speed
175 Knots (201 mph, 324 km/h)
165 Knots (190 mph, 306 km/h)
Cruising Speed
154 Knots (177 mph, 285 km/h)
151 Knots (174 mph, 280 km/h)
Range
920 Km
999 Km
Rotor
5-blade Main Rotor
4-blade Main Rotor
Service Ceiling
6,095 m (19,997 ft)
14,000 ft (4,270 m)

Operations

As a true multi-purpose and versatile military asset, the H225M enables military forces to deploy wherever and whenever needed. Operating both from ships and from land, even in icing conditions, this helicopter has an all-weather capability supported by night vision goggle compatibility.
The helicopter’s outstanding 700 NM range can be extended with air-to-air or hover in-flight refuelling capabilities. The H225M is equipped with avionics and communication systems that reduce crew workload while enhancing mission capability and safety. The H225M’s 4-axis dual-duplex automatic flight control system (AFCS) provides outstanding precision and stability; its upper modes integrate the engine limitations in all-engines operative (AEO) and one-engine inoperative (OEI) situations. The AFCS also includes SAR patterns, IFR procedures, and automatic approaches, and allows for fully automatic hovering whatever the speed.

Using the proven military heritage of Airbus’ Puma and Super Puma rotorcraft, the H225M was designed and is equipped for high survivability. Its airframe has reinforced structural main frames and is equipped with high energy-absorbing landing gear, along with self-sealing and crash worthy fuel tanks. Cockpit protection is provided by armoured and energy-absorbing crew seats.

The H225M Excels In A Full Range of Military Missions:

• Special operations
• Combat search and rescue
• Tactical transport
• Casualty / medical evacuation
• Coast Guard

Public Service Missions:

• Search and Rescue (SAR)
• Fire Fighting
• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Protection

The Airbus H225M operates primarily for military purposes. The H225M is used by the Brazilian Air Force, Army and Navy, while France uses it for the Air Force and the Air Force. In addition, the Hungarian defence forces, the Indonesian, Kazakh and Kuwaiti air forces, the Royal Malaysian and Mexican air forces, as well as the navy, and most recently Thailand and Singaporean air forces prefer the H225M. India is the last to join the fleet.

On the other hand, the Sikorsky S-92 is used by Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and the United States. S-92 is also widely used for civilian purposes in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Qatar, China, Canada, Brazil and others.

S-92 is more commonly used worldwide. The H225M is particularly powerful when comparing the specifications, in terms of speed, payload and performance. The S-92 has a better range than the H225M, but the difference is not huge.

Our Bureau