IAR to become prime contractor for Romanian H215M helicopters

April 13 (UPI) -- Airbus has inked a deal with Romania's state-owned IAR Brasov allowing the enterprise to become the prime contractor for the country's H125M rotorcraft.

According to IAR general director Neculai Banea, the company has already constructed 360 helicopters in partnership with Airbus over a 50-year time period.

"This agreement is an important milestone in the construction of a European defense partnership. We are convinced that this relationship will last another 50 years and that the H215M will correspond perfectly to the needs of the Romanian armies," Airbus' Olivier Michalon said in a press release.

Airbus Helicopters has been operating in Romania for over fifteen years. The company opened a factory in Brasov in 2016 to supplement its production operations.

The H215M helicopter is designed for ground attack and support missions, and is equipped with a full glass cockpit and modernized avionics systems. It can also perform transport missions, and carry up to 24 troops at a time.

Combat capabilities include a pod-mounted 20mm cannon, rocket launchers, and side-mounted rapid-fire machine guns.