New US built military Airbus AH-125/MH-125 Ares

Airbus Helicopters is introducing the first U.S.-built H125 helicopters in military configuration, known as AH-125 and MH-125 Ares, named after Αρης, the Greek God of War (Mars in Latin).

The new AH-125 and MH-125 helicopters will be able to perform an array of rotary wing missions, ranging from light attack to disaster response and other parapublic missions. They will be produced in the U.S. at Airbus Helicopters Inc.’s facility in Columbus (MS). Somewhat odd to notice is the fact that while the European Airbus company uses the designation H125 (without hyphen), the US built version is designated AH-125/MH-125 (with hyphen).

Globally, the H125 family accounts for almost 80% of the single-engine market and has the highest number of certified modifications (supplemental type certificates) available. With the new addition of a flexible weapons capability, the H125 helicopter will easily be re-configured between multiple mission sets in less than 30 minutes, ranging between light attack, air assault, search and rescue, casualty evacuation, and disaster response, as well as other combat and parapublic operations.

MAG Aerospace will perform the weapons installation design, engineering, certification and manufacturing. The helicopter will accommodate a wide range of weapons such as a .50 cal (12.7 mm) gun and unguided rockets, and precision-guided weapons as a growth option. The installation allows for doors-on flight throughout the mission.

The H125 is the world’s top-selling helicopter with a long history of use by U.S. law enforcement and government agencies. Currently, the H125 is the light enforcement helicopter used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with more than 100 H125 family aircraft in service, making the U.S. government the single largest customer and operator of the aircraft.

Photo: Airbus