Two of five multi-role H145M helicopters have been transferred by Airbus Helicopters to the Royal Thai Navy and are expected to enter service later this year.

The transfer took place during a ceremony on Friday in Germany, attended by a delegation from the Royal Thai Navy and Airbus Helicopters Germany CEO Wolfgang Schoder.

"After the H145M made its market entry with the German Air Force at the end of last year, we are very proud that the Royal Thai Navy has become another operator of the new H145M," Schoder said. "The helicopter is the most advanced solution for the increasingly challenging demands of our military customers in modern-day missions. It combines state-of-the-art technologies, outstanding performance and true multi-role capabilities while maintaining very high versatility and low operating costs."

The H145M is the military version of the civil H145 that entered service in mid-2014. The light aircraft is suitable for a variety of military operations, including naval, utility, reconnaissance, search and rescue, medical evacuation and armed scout.

The helicopters for Thailand are equipped with multi-purpose pylons, weather radar, an internal long-range fuel tank system and fixed provisions for future special operations upgrade.

They also feature a Helionix digital avionics suite, which incorporates a four-axis autopilot.

The two aircraft transferred on Friday will remain in Germany for the time being and will be used for pilot training. They will be delivered in Thailand by September.