aboard helicopter carrier
Atlântico, 2021 Less than six weeks after formally entering service, three French Air Force EC725s were dispatched to Cyprus to evacuate civilians from Lebanon during
Opération Baliste in the summer of 2006. In December 2006, the French Air Force began deploying EC725s to the
war in Afghanistan to support the coalition forces operating in region. EC725s in the Afghan theatre were based at
Kabul International Airport. In 2013, French EC725s received several upgrades including a new
SAGEM Forward looking infrared sensor, new door-mounted
Nexter-built machine guns, FADEC changes for low temperature operations, and reduced maintenance requirements. In 2008, the Brazilian Government announced that the
Helibras factory in
Itajubá, Minas Gerais, would produce an initial 50 EC725s as part of a $1 billion order for its
Naval Aviation, the
Air Force (FAB) and
Army Aviation. By December 2010, three helicopters were undergoing flight tests prior to entering military service. In 2012, Helibras begin assembly of the rest of the order. In April 2014, Helibras and
MBDA were in the process of integrating the anti-ship
Exocet missile, which are 50%-built in Brazil. On 19 June 2014, the
Brazilian Navy formally accepted delivery of the first EC725. By July 2015, the Brazilian armed forces had taken delivery of 16 H225Ms; deliveries were reported at the time to continue until 2019. In December 2015, Helibras delivered the first pair of H225Ms to be delivered to a full operational capability (FOC) standard to the Brazilian military. firing a
Exocet missile, 2021 In March 2009, Mexico became the second export customer for the type when the
Secretariat of National Defense placed an order for six armed EC725s for civil security and transport missions; a second batch of six was ordered in September 2010. On 30 April 2015, a
Mexican Air Force EC725 made an emergency landing after the
tail rotor was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing six soldiers and wounding 12, while engaged in Operation Jalisco, a coordinated multi-force action to combat the
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in both
Jalisco and
Colima. In May 2015, Mexico was reportedly in the process of negotiating the purchase of an additional 50 H225Ms. In April 2009, Malaysia placed an order for 12 EC725s in a Search and Rescue configuration to replace the ageing
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King fleet. In 2014, following
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 going missing, the
Royal Malaysian Air Force deployed their EC725s was deployed to search the plane along C-130s around the
South China Sea and Strait of Malacca. Following the
2015 Sabah earthquake, several Royal Malaysia Air Force EC725s were despatched to
Laban Rata in
Mount Kinabalu to rescue stranded climbers and retrieve the deceased. In November 2014, the
Indonesian Air Force took delivery of the first of six EC725s for Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operations.
Indonesian Aerospace (PT. Dirgantara Indonesia/PTDI) performs the
maintenance, repair and overhaul activities upon Indonesia's EC725 fleet; the firm also supply the tail booms and airframe assemblies for EC225s and EC725s worldwide, the first locally assembled main fuselage assembly was delivered in November 2013. On 21 April 2015, Poland announced an order for 50 H225M units to replace their tri-service fleet of
Mil Mi-8 and
Mil Mi-14. If signed, the contract would consist of 16 transport, 13
combat search and rescue, eight
anti-submarine warfare, eight
special forces and five
medical evacuation helicopters to be assembled in Poland. In May 2015, the H225M passed state trials held in
33rd Air Base over the course of two weeks. In October 2015, Poland's armament inspectorate reported that the total procurement cost would be roughly PLN13.3 billion ($3.5 billion), 40 per cent of which being for training and logistical support. However, in October 2016, Poland dropped out of offset negotiations prior to concluding the deal. According to former
President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski, the H225M purchase had been part of a
gentlemen's agreement under which France had cancelled an arranged sale of two
Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to Russia. In August 2016, the Kuwait Ministry of Defense and Airbus Helicopters signed a $1 billion contract for 30 H225M helicopters; 24 of these are for the
Kuwait Air Force and six are for the
Kuwait National Guard, these are to be armed with
anti-ship missiles In January 2019 however,
Kuwaiti Minister of Defense Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced that it would set up a committee of inquiry into the procurement of the helicopters regarding possible financial violations. On 7 November 2016, Singapore announced that the H225M would replace its existing Super Pumas, which had been in service since 1983, after a rigorous evaluation process. This would enable the
Republic of Singapore Air Force to meet its requirements for a wide spectrum of operations, including Search and Rescue (SAR), Aeromedical Evacuation (AME) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, more efficiently with fewer helicopters and less manpower. On 3 December 2021,
UAE ordered 12 Caracal helicopters. On 5 June 2023 the
Royal Netherlands Air Force announced the replacement of its current
Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopters with 14 H225s. The helicopters will be used to support their Special Operation Forces. On 5 November 2024 the order had been formalised during Euronaval 2024. Because of budgetary issues, the order had been downsized to 12 H225Ms. ==Variants==