Demand Tracker: Is Pakistan Replacing Its Alouette III Helicopters With Airbus H125s? Pro

Through 2026, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Navy (PN) have inducted an undisclosed number of Airbus Helicopters H125 light utility helicopters.

The first known PAF example – serialled 26-001 – was photographed in March 2026, while there have been rumours (currently unverified) of at least one PN unit.

Though it is possible that the PAF and/or PN have begun inducting the H125, Quwa was unable to verify whether there were new orders from Airbus Helicopters or, alternatively, transfers of ex-civilian airframes from other countries.

The latest reported export of helicopters matching the H125M’s weight class from France to Pakistan occurred in 2021. France reported exporting three helicopters in that class (i.e., a total of 4,364 kg or 1,455 kg per unit) to Pakistan for USD $12.3 million.

However, from 2022 to 2025, France did not report any helicopter exports to Pakistan at any weight class. Likewise, no other country or source has reported the sale of mothballed H125 helicopters to Pakistan either.

Therefore, the apparent PAF and PN H125 inductions raise the question about the sourcing of these helicopters.

First, the general condition of Pakistan’s defence relations with France and Germany is anemic, as both Paris and Berlin have committed to securing market share in the Indian defence market and, as such, have withheld export licenses to Pakistan.

The suppliers or governments of these countries want to avoid friction with New Delhi and, as such, mostly avoid selling items that could be deemed too sensitive to Pakistan.

Thus, official French reporting shows no helicopter exports to Pakistan from 2022 to 2025. France did issue a handful of aircraft-category (ML10) export licences to Pakistan in that period, but these do not name the equipment and could cover spare parts for older French-origin platforms. Likewise, there have been no local reports or news stories from France revealing such sales.