Ghana receives ACH175 helicopter

The new ACH175 for Ghana was received into Accra Air Force Base on 5 March. (Ghana Air Force)

Ghana has received from Airbus Helicopters the ACH175 corporate-configured helicopter, the Ghana Air Force (GAF) announced on 6 March.

The helicopter was formally received into Accra Air Force Base on 5 March, weeks after its order was announced in January.

“The H175 helicopter is expected to join the existing fleet of the Ghana Air Force and will support a range of critical operations, including medical evacuation, humanitarian assistance, and search-and-rescue missions,” the GAF said.

As noted by Janes All the World's Aircraft: Development & Production , the ACH175/H175 has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 7.8 tonnes and a payload of approximately 3 tonnes. Performance specifications include a cruise speed of 165 kt, a range of 635 n miles, and a hovering ceiling of 4,500 ft (out-of-ground effect). The ACH175/H175 has seating for 17 troops. It is 15.68 m in length (including tail rotor turning), 5.34 m in height (including tail rotor turning), and 3.35 m in width, and has a wheelbase of 4 m, a rotor diameter of 14.8 m, an internal cabin volume of 12.3 m³, and a baggage area of 2.7 m³.

The ACH175 will also likely be used for VIP duties, alongside an ACH160 that was ordered at the same time. On 15 January, the Ghanaian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was acquiring these two corporate-configured helicopters as part of a wider procurement form Airbus that also included two H175M military variant helicopters. No delivery timeline for the remaining airframes has been disclosed.

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Ghana orders military helicopters from Airbus