The armed forces of Germany (Bundesver) ordered 62 combat helicopters as part of the modernization program a little less than a year ago. The army took over the first one on Monday, dpa reports.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius attended the handover of the H145-M light combat helicopter at the Airbus factory in Donauvert.
He hailed the relatively quick start of deliveries as a sign of improvement in Germany's traditionally slow bureaucracy.
"Procurement has been significantly accelerated" in terms of equipping the military, the minister said, calling it "a real turning point" that shows what is possible when the armed forces and industry pull together.
The head of the Airbus helicopter division in Germany, Štefan Tome, described the start of deliveries after only 11 months as a "record".
The German Parliament (Bundestag) approved the purchase worth around 2,5 billion euros in December last year. The army will finance the procurement mainly from a special fund with 100 billion euros for the modernization of the Bundeswehr.
The government of Chancellor Olaf Šolc created the fund immediately after Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022.
Airbus plans to complete delivery of 61 more helicopters by the end of 2028. The company says the contract includes an option to deliver 20 more of those aircraft.
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