Airbus Helicopters unable to keep German H145M LKH timeline, Federal Audit Office states

Germany's Federal Audit Office has warned that Airbus Helicopters cannot meet the previously agreed schedule for bringing H145M Leichter Kampfhubschrauber light combat helicopters into operational service. The Bundeswehr accepted the finding on November 4, 2026, citing an incomplete equipment configuration and unresolved technical challenges that could postpone full capability by several years. Germany has expanded the purchase to 82 H145Ms, comprising 72 for the Army and ten for Luftwaffe special operations forces. Deliveries of the initial 62 were originally due by the end of 2028, while no completion date has been disclosed for the expanded order. The oversight finding concerns operational availability and programme implementation, not cancellation of the helicopter order or a complete halt to deliveries.