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| A French Air Force EC725R2 Caracal in 2009 (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
The RTAF receives four EC725 helicopters which will become operational next month.
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has received the four new medium-lift helicopters it ordered, Airbus Helicopters announced August 25.
The four EC725 helicopters, which were ordered in 2012, were delivered and will become operational next month, the company announced. Two additional EC725s which were ordered in 2014 are expected to be delivered to the RTAF in 2016.
The EC725 – which has been renamed the H225M in 2015 in line with Eurocopter’s corporate rebranding as Airbus Helicopters – is a 11-ton, twin-engine helicopter. It features high-performance navigation and mission systems – including a unique digital four-axis autopilot. It boasts a maximum speed of 201 miles per hour, a range of 533 miles and a service ceiling of nearly 20,000 feet.
According to Airbus Helicopters, it is capable of performing multiple missions including combat search and rescue, long-range tactical transport, aeromedical transport and logistic support and naval duties. Delivering excellent flight autonomy and seating 28 persons, the company says the powerful helicopter is “perfectly tailored” for the RTAF to carry out such missions.
Read the full story at The Diplomat