Dirgantara Indonesia has delivered the first two of an eventual six Airbus Helicopters H225Ms to the country’s air force.

The aircraft were handed over on 25 November in a ceremony at Dirgantara’s facility in Bandung. The remaining four aircraft from the order will follow in early 2017.

Airbus Helicopters is producing the H225Ms at its site in Marignane, France, before delivering them to Dirgantara to install nation-specific equipment.

Indonesia will use the 11t-class helicopters for a variety of missions, including search and rescue, and troop transport. They are equipped with a rescue hoist, forward-looking infrared camera and pintle-mounted door guns.

Dirgantara, meanwhile, has received an initial batch of three AS565 MBe Panthers which it will modify for anti-submarine warfare missions for the Indonesian navy.

Work will cover the installation of the ASW suite which includes a dipping sonar and torpedo launch systems.

In 2014 Indonesia ordered 11 examples of the 4.5t Panther; deliveries run until 2018.

Source: FlightGlobal.com