Germany plans to purchase Airbus civilian helicopters and convert them into combat ones
The German Defence Ministry wants to buy 82 Airbus H-145M civilian helicopters and convert some of them into combat helicopters to replace their obsolete Tiger helicopters.
Source: Business Insider with reference to internal military documents, as European Pravda reports.
Berlin, reluctant to order any upgrades to Airbus Tiger attack helicopters due to operational problems, wants to buy 82 vehicles for €3.05 billion and equip 24 of them with anti-tank missiles.
The Luftwaffe has 51 Tigers at its disposal, only some of which are currently in service.
The H-145M helicopters are approved for military use but are not combat-ready, and the Bundeswehr has concerns about the vehicle's combat suitability and crew protection, which the ministry has so far ignored.
The Bundeswehr (armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany) considers the planned purchase "a purely political decision that ignores operational needs," Business Insider reports, citing a letter from the German Armed Forces technical service for aviation and air navigation equipment (WTD 61) to the Ministry of Defenсe.
Earlier, it was reported that after the transfer of 14 Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery units to Ukraine to the Bundeswehr, Germany will have to wait at least three years for a replacement of these.
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