The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has canceled a deal with Airbus to procure 12 units of H225M Caracal multirole helicopters, according to a report by Breaking Defense.
The deal is valued to be around €800 million ($880.6 million).
In an exclusive interview with Breaking Defense, Muammar Abdulla Abushehab, an official at the UAE’s defense and security acquisitions authority, confirmed the deal termination, citing financial and technical reasons.
“We recently terminated a contract with Airbus Helicopters to purchase H225 helicopters. We found it difficult to continue the contract due to the high lifecycle cost, the limitations in adapting to modular designs of future mission requirements, and the complex technical proposal,” Abushehab said during the interview.
“The company lacked the serious motivation to respond to our demands in order to meet the pressing requirements of the government. The failure to achieve in-country value goals was another factor in the decision to terminate the contract,” Abushehab added, reiterating that the decision was not at all political.
The order was placed in December 2021 during a visit to Abu Dhabi by French President Emmanuel Macron. The UAE also signed a contract for 80 Rafale fighter jets.
The H225M is the most advanced member of Airbus’ military Super Puma/Cougar family and is reliable as a multi-role helicopter.
It is currently used by the following governments: France, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Singapore and Thailand.