Belgium has approved the procurement of five more Airbus H145M helicopters—three for Defence and two for the Federal Police—bringing the country’s future combined fleet to twenty aircraft.
The decision was endorsed during the Council of Ministers’ Friday session, expanding Belgium’s Defence and Federal Police helicopter inventory under the same investment framework used for previous purchases. Defence Minister Theo Francken and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin announced the move, noting that the aircraft will support internal security missions and strengthen national response capacity during major crises. The approval also comes shortly after the first test flight of Belgium’s initial H145M was completed in Germany two weeks earlier.
Under the new authorization, Defence will receive three additional helicopters, while the Federal Police has paid the deposit for two more H145Ms, creating a five-aircraft follow-on order to the original batch of fifteen units. In significant crisis scenarios, these new helicopters will augment the earlier fleet, enabling Belgium to deploy up to twenty H145Ms for national security operations without delay. Defence will remain responsible for maintenance, airworthiness, and overall fleet financing, ensuring that all twenty aircraft operate under a unified management structure established through the ongoing investment program.
