Belgium has decided to acquire five extra Airbus H145M helicopters—three destined for Defence and two for the Federal Police—raising the nation’s future fleet to a total of twenty aircraft.
The Council of Ministers approved the purchase during its Friday meeting, extending Belgium’s investment in the H145M platform through the same funding mechanism used for earlier orders. Defence Minister Theo Francken and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed that the helicopters will enhance internal security operations and bolster national resilience in times of major emergency. The announcement follows closely on the heels of the first test flight of Belgium’s inaugural H145M, which took place in Germany two weeks earlier.
In detail, the government authorized three new helicopters for Defence, while the Federal Police submitted the down payment for two additional units, forming a five-aircraft expansion to the original fifteen-aircraft plan. During major crises, these new helicopters are intended to supplement the existing fleet so that Belgium can swiftly mobilize all twenty H145Ms for national security missions. Defence will oversee maintenance, ensure airworthiness, and manage financing across the entire fleet, maintaining a unified oversight model aligned with Belgium’s ongoing modernization program.
