Qatar has received the first of 16 Airbus Helicopter H125 training platforms it ordered in 2018, national media and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have revealed.
A Qatari TV news screenshot showing one of at least two Airbus Helicopters H125 training platforms to have arrived in-country. (Al-Rayyan)
At least two helicopters were seen on static display in footage aired by Al-Rayyan news and in an official MoD image of a graduation ceremony at the College of Al Zaeem Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Attiyah.
The footage and image, both released on 23 January, show the helicopters painted in the livery of the college at Al Udeid Air Base, which is also known as the Qatar Armed Forces Air Academy.
Airbus Helicopters announced the H125 sale to Qatar at the DIMDEX defence exhibition that took place in Doha in March 2018. Neither Airbus nor the Qatari MoD have disclosed the delivery timeline.
Destined to replace the secondary training role of the Aerospatiale SA 342L Gazelle that has been in service since 1983, the H125 has been procured is part of a wider deal that also includes 28 NHIndustries NH90 helicopters.
Footage of the graduation parade shows the H125s to be painted in the livery of the Qatar Armed Forces Air Academy. (Al-Rayyan)
Formerly designated AS 350, the H125 is a single-engined, light utility helicopter that is used extensively in both the civil and military markets as a training platform. At an estimated USD5 million to procure, the H125 has a reputation for being reliable, rugged, and easy to maintain. To date, more than 32 million flight hours have been logged on the aircraft by operators throughout the world.
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