[Foreign Policy] Failed rearmament - Failed armament projects of the German Armed Forces: Helicopter H145M

Siehe auch:
[Außenpolitik] Gescheiterte Aufrüstung - Scheiternde Rüstungsvorhaben der Bundeswehr: Hubschrauber H145M

Since the announcement of the so-called "turning point (Zeitenwende)" in German defense policy the Bundeswehr has been making headlines regarding its rearmament. Defense spending is being repeatedly increased and personnel as well as equipment targets are constantly growing.
And certainly the Bundeswehr or rather its procurement system is capable of scaling up. Existing equipment can be procured again or in larger quantities in the future as long as it is still available.
However a closer look reveals that new meaning not yet procured equipment is causing significant problems. Interestingly considerable problems are arising with both commercially available products and custom made solutions. In light of the rising defense spending this deserves particular attention.

The Eurocopter (now Airbus) EC665 Tiger helicopter is to be used by the German Armed Forces only until 2032. To maintain the capabilities of support and attack helicopters commercially available Airbus H145M helicopters are being procured. The H145M is intended to supplement the Tiger in the German Armed Forces and replace it in the medium term until a successor for the Tiger is found. Upon closer examination the H145M represents a significant step backwards compared to the Tiger. [1]

As a result of the use of drones the need for support and attack helicopters is repeatedly questioned. The need for a weapon system exists as long as there is a need for its capabilities and these capabilities are not covered by other weapon systems. Support and attack helicopters are manned aircrafts and unlike drones can be deployed even without a connection to a command posts. They combine firepower with speed and the element of surprise against ground or air targets such as drones. And unlike airplanes helicopters are less demanding in terms of take-off and landing areas.

The H145M is actually a popular and versatile helicopter but primarily known in the civilian sector as the H145. As the H145M the helicopter is also used by the military for transport and reconnaissance missions. To also function as a support or attack helicopter two external hardpoints for weapons are mounted. As soon as one external hardpoint is occupied with air-to-air missiles for self-defense its combat effectiveness decreases dramatically. Diverse armaments are no longer possible or require a correspondingly larger number of helicopters. Furthermore unlike conventional support and attack helicopters the H145M has neither a sleek silhouette nor external engines. A sleek silhouette is intended to make it more difficult or even impossible for the aircraft to be detected. And external engines are intended to prevent a crash if hit by heat-seeking missiles. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Alternatives to the H145M would be the American Boeing AH-64 Apache or the Italian Leonardo AW249 Fenice and Agusta A129 Mangusta. The AH-64 is still in production. The other two are predecessors and successors with the predecessor having been re-produced for the Turkish armed forces and the successor is scheduled to enter service with the Italian armed forces in 2027. All these models are classic support and attack helicopters with a sleek silhouette and external engines. They also have four to six external hardpoints for weapons and in any case a front-turret. This would make each model a better choice than the H145M and even an improvement over the Tiger used by the German Armed Forces. The only party that likely benefits from the procurement of the H145M is the manufacturer Airbus. [6] [7] [8]

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[Foreign Policy] Failed rearmament - Failed armament projects of the German Armed Forces: Helicopter H145M 2026-01-23
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Src:
[1] 25-Millionen-Euro-Vorlagen - Tempo bei der Beschaffung: Auch weitere Kampfhubschrauber für die Bundeswehr Veröffentlichungsdatum 2025-11-14
https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/fuenf-weitere-beschaffungsvorhaben-fuer-truppe-6038628
[2] „Für Einsätze untauglich“: Interne Unterlagen zeigen neue Probleme beim umstrittenen Kampfhubschrauber-Projekt H145M der Bundeswehr 2023-10-12
https://www.businessinsider.de/politik/deutschland/fuer-einsaetze-untauglich-neue-probleme-bei-bundeswehr-hubschraubern/
[3] Vertraulicher Bericht des Bundesrechnungshofs: Das ist die Mängel-Liste beim umstrittenen Kampfhubschrauber-Deal der Bundeswehr 2023-12-13
https://www.businessinsider.de/politik/deutschland/h145m-der-bundeswehr-die-geheime-maengel-liste-des-rechnungshofs/
[4] Hubschrauber für die Bundeswehr - Die erste H145M aus der deutschen Rekordbestellung fliegt 2024-10-02
https://www.flugrevue.de/hubschrauber-fuer-die-bundeswehr-die-erste-h145m-aus-der-deutschen-rekordbestellung-fliegt-v2/
[5] Deutschlands neue Kampfhubschrauber - Warum die Bundeswehr 82 H145M bestellt hat 2025-12-16
https://www.flugrevue.de/neuer-kampfhubschrauber-der-bundeswehr-warum-deutschland-82-h145m-bestellt/
[6] Turkey signs for more T129 attack helicopters 2010-11-09
https://www.flightglobal.com/turkey-signs-for-more-t129-attack-helicopters/96769.article
[7] Eurosatory: Kampfhubschrauber AW249 vorgestellt 2024-06-21
https://defence-network.com/eurosatory-kampfhubschrauber-aw249-vorgestellt/
[8] Italy lines up follow-on order for 29 AW249 Fenice attack helicopters in 1.22 billion Euro deal 2025-10-29
https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/italy-lines-up-follow-on-order-for-29-aw249-fenice-attack-helicopters-in-122-billion-deal/165072.article