Thibaut Trancart - VP & GM EMEA, CAE D&S International, CAE; Jo Rayson, Managing Director, Babcock’s Training business; Ludovic Boistot, Head of Sales Eastern Europe and CIS, Airbus Helicopters
Airbus, Babcock International Group (Babcock), and CAE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner together to offer a comprehensive package of military helicopters and associated training services to the Polish Air Force.
The partnership brings together three world-class service providers who will leverage their unique combined expertise on a proposal to provide Poland with powerful new defence capabilities as part of the ongoing modernization of Polish helicopter aviation.
Under the terms of the MoU, Airbus will lead on the platform design and build, with Babcock providing training and CAE delivering simulation.
Thibaut Trancart, Vice President and General Manager, CAE Defense & Security, EMEA, from CAE, added: "With more than 75 years of experience and a global presence as the training partner of choice for defence forces worldwide, our cutting-edge helicopter training and simulation solutions empower defence forces to develop essential skills and best practices for live missions. Ensuring superior training outcomes, CAE’s advanced technology and expertise, together with Airbus and Babcock, will support and enhance the mission and operational readiness of Poland’s defence forces – our team will be instrumental in this effort."
Ludovic Boistot, Head of Sales Eastern Europe and CIS at Airbus Helicopters, said: "The H145 is the perfect four tonne class dual use helicopter, equipped to perform a wide range of military missions, including training, disaster relief, search and rescue special forces, light attack and more. It's been used for these missions by key NATO and European allies of Poland such as the US, UK and Germany. We are confident that together with our training partners Babcock and CAE, who are world renowned companies in the fields of military training, we will provide the Polish military with the best multirole helicopter and the best training conditions to modernise the Air Force University of Deblin for their future Apache and other rotary-wing pilots.”
Jo Rayson, Managing Director for Babcock’s Training business, said: “Our partnership presents the Polish Armed Forces with an exceptional platform backed by a proven training and support solution. Babcock is already playing a critical role on the Polish Navy's Miecznik frigate programme and we're pleased to be partnering with Airbus and CAE on this opportunity to deliver a crucial new defence capability.”
The Airbus H145M is the military version of the tried-and-tested, light twin-engine H145 helicopter. The global fleet of the H145 family has accumulated more than eight million flight hours and is used by armed and law enforcement forces around the world for the most demanding missions.
CAE's simulation-based training solutions, which include high-fidelity simulators, augmented and mixed reality, AI-driven adaptive learning environments, and real-time modelling and simulation, provide a realistic and immersive helicopter training experience.
At CAE, we exist to make the world safer. We deliver cutting-edge training, simulation, and critical operations solutions to prepare aviation professionals and defence forces for the moments that matter. Every day, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security personnel to perform at their best and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we’re everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees at around 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. For nearly 80 years, CAE has been at the forefront of innovation, consistently seeking to set the standard by delivering excellence in high-fidelity flight simulators and training solutions, while embedding sustainability at the heart of everything we do. By harnessing technology and enhancing human performance, we strive to be the trusted partner in advancing safety and mission readiness—today and tomorrow.
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