Ukraine-based state company Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC (UDI) has announced an agreement with European aircraft industry giant Airbus to carry out maintenance and repair of its helicopters. A Tripartite Memorandum on cooperation was signed during the Paris Air Show 2025 in Le Bourget.
First, UDI's specialists will start training to obtain qualifications for servicing Airbus helicopters. For that, a delegation from Airbus will visit Ukraine and select candidates to learn the technologies, technical documents and hence become instructors for their compatriots.
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This important step puts an end to the long-lasting problem of securing proper service for Ukrainian Airbus H145, H225, and H125 helicopters, operated by the State Emergency Service, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and the National Police of Ukraine. The rotorcraft are often used to transport wounded soldiers, cargo, deployed for patrol, and even shoot down Shahed-136/131 killer drones, launched by russian forces. All these missions wear down the helicopters quite quickly.
For a reminder, after the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs purchased the European helicopters, a local maintenance center was established. However, the russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine interrupted its work, and Airbus stopped all operations in the country. According to Intelligence Online, this was done to keep the supply of titanium flowing from russia.
The European company was faced with outrage for this decision, especially after Ukraine had paid €160 million euros for the maintenance of its helicopters. Boeing and Thales choosing to stay in the country further stained Airbus' reputation.
In response, the aircraft maker started considering various scenarios, such as sending mobile teams of its specialists to provide maintenance. However, these plans were again postponed after the U.S. halted sharing intelligence with Ukraine, because the company became concerned that its employees could come under a missile strike.
Another option for Airbus was to deepen cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises to mobilize local maintenance capabilities. In fact, this new agreement between UDI and Airbus is the first official result of this effort. It will help reduce helicopter downtime and ensure they are taken care of.
For Ukraine, this development is also profitable from a strategic perspective, as it raises the competencies of domestic aviation industry employees. In the future, the gained qualifications may help attract repair contracts with other nations that rely on Airbus helicopters.
The Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC is confident that its subsidiaries will be more engaged in European projects going forward. The company doesn't make any specific prognoses in that regard but this opportunity could indeed create a solid foundation for future partnerships.
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