Airbus Offers to Produce H215M Helicopters in Romania
Airbus has offered to establish production of H215M multirole helicopters at the Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) plant in Brașov, provided Romania accelerates its planned acquisition of helicopters for its armed forces.
Defense Romania, whose correspondents attended a briefing with senior Airbus officials, reported on the proposal.
The participants included Johan Pelissier, President of Airbus Europe; Georges Durdilly, President of Airbus Romania and Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Romania; Thomas Hein, Head of Airbus Helicopters in Europe; and Carlos Sanchez Pla, Head of Sales for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Airbus Defence and Space.
A key topic was the H215M helicopter, which Airbus is offering as a replacement for Romania’s aging fleet of IAR-330 Puma helicopters.
Romania had initially planned to purchase new helicopters after 2030. However, the timeline shifted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting a re-evaluation of defense procurement priorities.
“The final decision on the program’s priority rests with the customer. But I can say that, in general, there’s been an acceleration of such programs across Europe — especially when they bring benefits to the buyer country and align with the broader goal of strengthening European defense,” Pelissier shared.
Although the number of helicopters to be procured has not been finalized, previous government statements have indicated a figure of around 90 aircraft.
“At the moment, we can only refer to official comments. Last year, Romania’s former defense minister mentioned a need for about 90 multi-role helicopters, if I recall correctly. But it’s no secret that the IAR-330 Puma fleet — produced 50 years ago in Brașov — has reached the end of its service life,” Durdilly noted.
Durdilly added that Airbus is ready to provide IAR with all necessary support to begin local production. The company ultimately aims to transfer the full H215 production line to Romania.
“We’re ready to do this. We visited IAR Brașov and were pleasantly surprised to see that the facilities are fully prepared for this potential project. We’re ready, if Romania decides to move forward with the procurement,” he said.
In late June, Ukraine’s Defense Industry Joint Stock Company (Ukroboronprom) and Airbus signed a memorandum of cooperation.
The document was signed during the 2025 Paris Air Show. Within the agreement, Ukrainian specialists will be trained in the maintenance and repair of Airbus aircraft operated in Ukraine.
