UK MoD H135s leased to Australia

On 21 April 2024, Network Aviation Boeing 747-400F, TF-AKE, arrived at Sydney Airport from Kuala Lumpur as ABD4274, landing on Runway 34L at 18:24 hrs LT. On board were five ex-UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) H135 helicopters, which were loaded in Liège, Belgium.

The five H135 utility helicopters were initially purchased to replace the Gazelle AH1 with Army Air Corps 665 Squadron but were never put into service. They were instead placed in storage and reportedly shipped to Belgium by late March 2024.

In February 2024, Scramble Magazine first reported that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) would lease five Airbus Helicopters EC135T3 (H135) twin-engine light utility helicopters from the UK MoD for a period of five years.

These leased helicopters will be stationed at Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre in Queensland. In addition to their role in training Army aviation aircrews, they will also be used for light transport duties for the ADF. Operations are estimated to commence in mid-2024.

The individual details of the helicopters are: G-CMIR (c/n 2175), G-CMIS (c/n 2179), G-CMIT (c/n 2181), G-CMIU (c/n 2184), and G-CMIV (c/n 2188). To our knowledge, they were never assigned British military serials.

Credit photo: Kilo Hotel Photography