Romania has signed a contract for 12 Airbus H225M multirole helicopters, launching the replacement of its ageing IAR 330 Puma fleet and adding another major procurement programme to Bucharest’s rapidly expanding European defence investment strategy.
By Open Chronicle with agencies
Romania has formally signed a contract to acquire 12 Airbus H225M multirole helicopters, advancing one of the country’s major military aviation modernization programmes as Bucharest increases defence investment across land, air and maritime forces.
Airbus announced that the agreement was finalized between Romania and France’s Directorate General of Armaments, known as the DGA, using financing available through the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe programme, known as SAFE.
The contract follows Romanian approval in July of an acquisition estimated at €757 million, approximately $845 million.
The helicopters will provide Romania with a new generation of rotary wing capabilities intended for a broad spectrum of military operations.
From Combat Missions to Airborne Assault
Romania has identified several roles for the H225M fleet.
When the acquisition was approved in July, Romanian authorities said the aircraft would support attack, reconnaissance, surveillance and tactical protection missions.
The helicopters are also intended to conduct specialized airborne assault operations.
This combination reflects the H225M’s role as a multirole military platform rather than an aircraft designed for a single mission.
The type can support troop transport and tactical operations while giving commanders greater flexibility to move personnel and equipment across the battlefield.
For Romania, that versatility is particularly relevant as the country restructures its armed forces around newer equipment and expanded operational requirements.
Replacing Romania’s IAR 330 Puma
The 12 H225Ms will begin replacing Romania’s IAR 330 Puma fleet.
The IAR 330 is a Romanian produced version of the Puma helicopter manufactured under licence from France’s Aérospatiale.
For decades, the Puma family has played an important role in Romanian military aviation. The transition to the H225M therefore represents more than the purchase of additional helicopters.
It marks the beginning of a generational shift in the country’s military rotary wing fleet.
The H225M belongs to the modern Super Puma family developed by Airbus Helicopters and is designed for military missions requiring range, payload capacity and operational flexibility.
Romania’s decision also strengthens the country’s existing relationship with Airbus across several helicopter programmes.
SAFE Financing Drives the Acquisition
The procurement is being supported through the European Union’s SAFE financial mechanism.
SAFE was established to help EU member states finance urgent and strategically important defence investments.
Romania has received an overall SAFE allocation worth approximately €16.8 billion.
That makes the country the second largest beneficiary of the programme, behind Poland.
The scale of the allocation illustrates how significantly European defence financing is beginning to influence Romania’s military procurement strategy.
Rather than being limited to a single aircraft acquisition, Bucharest is using the mechanism across multiple branches of its armed forces.
Romania Is Building a Broader Airbus Helicopter Fleet
The H225M purchase forms part of a wider Romanian helicopter acquisition programme.
Within the SAFE framework, Romania and Airbus have previously signed contracts covering seven H160 helicopters and five H145 helicopters for public service missions.
Romania has also ordered two H215M heavy lift helicopters configured for naval operations.
Taken together, these acquisitions indicate that Bucharest is developing several complementary helicopter capabilities rather than replacing one fleet with a single aircraft type.
The H145 and H160 will support public service requirements, while the H215M and H225M address heavier and more specialized operational missions.
€12.5 Billion Committed Across Major Defence Programmes
The helicopter acquisition is only one component of a much larger Romanian defence procurement programme.
According to Romanian government information released in June, Bucharest has committed approximately €12.5 billion in SAFE funding across a series of defence projects.
One of the largest involves the planned acquisition of 298 Lynx KF41 tracked infantry fighting vehicles produced by Germany’s Rheinmetall.
The Lynx programme would substantially modernize Romania’s mechanized land forces.
Air defence is another major priority.
Romania’s spending package includes seven Skynex systems and two Skyranger systems from Rheinmetall, expanding the country’s ability to protect forces and infrastructure against airborne threats.
The investment demonstrates how Bucharest is simultaneously addressing several military requirements rather than concentrating spending exclusively on one branch of the armed forces.
Maritime Forces Are Also Being Modernized
Romania is also directing SAFE funding toward its naval capabilities.
The procurement package includes two maritime patrol vessels and two diver intervention vessels produced by German shipbuilder NVL.
The naval investments sit alongside the two H215M helicopters ordered in a naval configuration.
Together, these programmes point toward a broader effort to strengthen Romania’s ability to conduct maritime surveillance, patrol and specialist operations.
For a country with access to the Black Sea, naval and coastal capabilities form an important part of the wider modernization programme.
Drones Join Romania’s Procurement Programme
Uncrewed systems are another element of the investment package.
Romania plans to acquire 34 military drones from Quantum Systems.
The inclusion of drones alongside helicopters, infantry fighting vehicles, air defence systems and naval vessels illustrates the breadth of Bucharest’s procurement strategy.
Modern military operations increasingly combine crewed platforms with uncrewed reconnaissance and surveillance systems.
Romania’s investments therefore span both conventional military platforms and technologies that have become increasingly important to contemporary battlefield operations.
A Major European Rearmament Programme
The H225M contract also demonstrates how European defence procurement is becoming more interconnected.
Romania is buying French designed helicopters, German armoured vehicles and air defence systems, German built naval vessels and European drone technology through an EU backed financing framework.
That combination reflects one of the central objectives behind SAFE: accelerating defence investment while strengthening European defence industrial capacity.
For Romania, the result is one of the country’s most ambitious military modernization programmes in decades.
The H225M Becomes Part of Romania’s Future Force
The arrival of the H225M will not immediately end the long career of the Romanian Puma.
Instead, the first 12 aircraft will begin a gradual transition toward a newer generation of military helicopters.
But the strategic direction is increasingly clear.
Romania is simultaneously renewing its helicopter fleet, mechanized forces, air defences, naval capabilities and uncrewed systems, supported by one of the largest SAFE allocations in the European Union.
The H225M contract is therefore significant beyond the 12 aircraft themselves.
It represents another component of a much larger transformation of Romania’s armed forces, one increasingly tied to European defence financing, European industrial cooperation and the country’s expanding investment in modern military capabilities.