SÃO PAULO -- Helibras has delivered the 33rd H225M helicopter to Brazil as part of the H-XBR program. This is the third H225M delivered to Brazil in 2018 and the second to the Brazilian Army. The aircraft will be based on the 1st Aviation Battalion (BAvEx) in Taubaté, joining another 10 ten H225M aircraft already delivered to the Brazilian Army.
The helicopters are being delivered under the 50-helicopter H-XBR program. The BRL1.5 billion contract under H-XBR was signed in June 2008. With the May delivery, the total number of aircraft delivered to Brazil under H-XBR is now 28. Production is expected to be completed in 2022.
The H225M of the Armed Forces has been manufactured in Itajubá since the inauguration of the company's new production line in 2012. Licensed-production, industrial offsets, and technology-transfer programs are important in Latin America since many countries are seeking to expand their developing defense industries. In fact, Brazil will no longer consider procurements without technology transfer included in the contract and also requires locally produced equipment. In order to reach that level of national content, Helibras has developed a supply chain and local suppliers that currently consists of 37 Brazilian companies.