Thailand Orders Four EC725s for SAR Duties

The Government of Thailand has reportedly ordered four EC725 helicopters for SAR duties, it has emerged. According to reports in the French media, the €100 million deal was announced by Thai deputy prime minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa on 29 August.

The aircraft are expected to replace the Royal Thai Air Force's (RTAF) elderly fleet of Bell UH-1H SAR helicopters. Delivery dates for the aircraft were not announced.

The RTAF joins an increasing number of South East Asian nations using the EC725 and its civilian counterpart, the EC225, including the Vietnamese Navy and the the Malaysian Air Force, which has ordered 12 examples of the EC725 for use in a range of missions including SAR.

In April, the Indonesian Air Force purchased six EC725s for the CSAR role.