Airbus Helicopters Releases AH/MH-125 Ares, Military Variant of the H125 Light Helicopter Made in the US

Airbus Helicopters Releases AH/MH-125 Ares, Military Variant of the H125 Light Helicopter Made in the US


In order to smoothen its marketing in the United States, Airbus Helicopters has introduced a military variant of the H125 light helicopter that will be made in the US. The Airbus H125 (formerly called Eurocopter AS350 Squirre) in military variants is codenamed AH-125 and MH-125 Ares, in this case Airbus Helicopters partners with the US company, MAG Aerospace.


In Greek mythology, the name Ares is stronger than the name Zeus. The ancients used it to describe a god of war – not just any war, but war that was barbaric, bloody, and hateful. And the name Ares is now used by Airbus Helicopters to describe a new type of military helicopter that will be made in the US.

The AH-125 Ares will be configured as an armed variant of the H125. Meanwhile, the MH-125 Ares will be a multi-role helicopter for various tactical attack operations. 

Airbus Helicopters said that the latest weapons integration capabilities allow modification of the H125 between multiple mission sequences in less than 30 minutes. The configuration prepared by Airbus includes combat, air assault, search and rescue, light attack and humanitarian operations missions.

In order to empower the US workforce, production of the AH-125 and MH-125 Ares will be carried out at the Airbus facility in Columbus, Mississippi. As for the helicopter conversion, including integration, engineering, assembly and certification of weapons will be carried out by Virginia-based MAG Aerospace.

As a light attack helicopter for special forces operations, the AH/MH-125 Ares armament will include guns in 12.7 mm caliber, guided missiles and precision guided weapons.

Airbus Helicopters says that around 80 percent of the global single-engine helicopter market comes from its H125 helicopter line. This makes it a distinct advantage in offering light attack helicopters from the best-selling civilian helicopter platforms in the international market.

In the US, most of the helicopters operated by US Customs and Border Protection are Airbus H125s. With more than 100 units of the H125 in service with US Customs and Border Protection, it is the largest global customer for the civilian variant of the H125.

Introduced in the mid-1970s as the Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil (which is French for squirrel), is a light, single-engine helicopter used primarily for civilian transportation. Although the specifications for the AH/MH-125 Ares have not yet been released, it is likely that it will not be far from the configuration of the previous military variant (H125M). 


This helicopter is powered by a single 2D Safran Arriel engine that develops 847 hp. Safran Arriel's 2D engine broke the record for flight altitude on Mount Everest in 2005, when the H125 managed to fly to an altitude of 8,850 meters above sea level.


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