UAE changes its mind about buying Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters and cancels $880m contract

The UAE has decided not to buy the H225M Caracal multirole helicopter from aircraft giant Airbus. This was announced by Muammar Abdulla Abushehab, head of the defence and security sector.

Here's What We Know

The UAE ordered 12 H225M Caracal multirole helicopters in December 2021. The estimated value of the deal was €750-800 million ($820-880 million). A year and a half later, the contract was cancelled due to high life-cycle costs and limitations in adapting to future missions.

Muammar Abdullah Abushehab said the decision was made purely for reasons of economy and technical limitations of the helicopters, not for political reasons. The official added that the French giant "had no serious motivation" to respond to the requirements to bring the H225M in line with the criteria. Airbus has not commented on the information.

The H225M Caracal is the military variant of the H225 helicopter. The H225M version supports a range of weapons, including machine guns and anti-ship missiles. The helicopter is in service with the French Air Force. In addition, Airbus has export contracts with 11 customers.

Source: Breaking Defense