Iraq has taken delivery of an initial pair of Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracals dating from a September 2024 order for a dozen units of the heavy-twin.
The first two helicopters were received by Iraqi defence minister Thabet Al-Abbasi on 30 April at the airframer’s headquarters in Marignane, southern France.
To be operated by the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, the 11t-class H225Ms will replace older Mil Mi-17s and will be used for a wide range of missions including counter-terrorism, special operations, tactical troop transport, attack, and fire support.
An unspecified number of the Iraqi Caracals will be equipped with Airbus Helicopters’ HForce modular weapons system.
Dominic Perry is Aerospace Editor, Europe contributing extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives. He also helps to edit Flight International.View full Profile
