Airbus has confirmed the award of a contract by Ghana’s Ministry of Defence for the delivery of two multi-mission helicopters and two others for transport.
In a press release on Thursday, January 15, Airbus said the commitment of Ghana marks its return to the country “with a defined focus on customer support and partnership”.
“We are particularly excited that the H175M will be operated in Ghana, demonstrating the aircraft’s versatility across defence and security missions,” said Head of Africa and Middle East Region for Airbus Helicopters Arnaud Montalvo.
“This key deal also makes Ghana a leading customer in West Africa for our premium corporate helicopters, the ACH160 and ACH175,” he added.
The procurement of the four helicopters was necessitated by the crashing of the Ghana Airforce Harbin Z-9 helicopter on Wednesday, August 6, leading to the death of eight passengers including two ministers of state.
Airbus says the H175 “belongs to the super-medium class of helicopters, combining long-range and payload with smooth flight qualities, making it the optimal solution for a wide range of onshore and offshore mission profiles, including disaster relief, search and rescue, public services and a wide range of military missions, as well as crew change and private and business aviation”.
“The ACH160 is the latest member of the ACH family and is the world’s most technologically advanced helicopter, with 68 new Airbus patented technologies.
“It provides 20% greater volume per passenger compared to previous generation medium twin helicopters and 35% larger windows than its competitors, resulting in the brightest cabin in its class.”