Ghana orders military helicopters from Airbus

Ghana is to field the H175M as part of a wider helicopter procurement with Airbus. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Ghana has ordered four military rotorcraft from Airbus Helicopters, the manufacturer announced on 15 January.

The country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed a contract for two H175M, one ACH175, and one ACH160 helicopters for an undisclosed value. No delivery timeline was disclosed.

“We are particularly excited that the H175M will be operated in Ghana, demonstrating the aircraft's versatility across defence and security missions,” Arnaud Montalvo, head of Africa and Middle East Region for Airbus Helicopters, said.

While the H175M is a military configured airframe to be used for missions such as personnel and cargo transport and civil support, the ACH160 and ACH175 are corporate configured helicopters likely acquired for VIP duties.

The announcement did not disclose the end-user, although the Ghana Air Force (GAF) currently operates Russian-built Mil Mi-17/171 ‘Hip' and Chinese-built Harbin Z-9 helicopters. The Ghana Army and Ghana Navy do not operate aircraft of any kind.

As noted by Janes World Air Forces, the GAF's primary role is combat support, transport, light attack, coastal surveillance, and support to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations. Consequently, the main responsibility of the GAF is to provide support to the army.

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