The FAA has certified Airbus’ H125 helicopter to operate with single-pilot IFR capability. Announced on Monday, the approval clears the way for deliveries of the single-engine IFR model to begin from the manufacturer’s U.S. assembly line in Columbus, Mississippi.
Developed in collaboration with Moog’s Genesys Aerosystems, the extended capability is based on an upgraded cockpit and new autopilot, along with redundant hydraulic and electrical systems. According to Airbus Helicopters, this combination supports advanced situational awareness and reduced pilot workload.
The FAA certification process started in March 2023, and Airbus had aimed to complete it during the second half of 2024. However, describing the capability as an “incremental innovation which brings value to the market,” Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said that the approval will reinvigorate demand for the single-engine rotorcraft.
“I don’t see the end of the H125 tomorrow,” he told journalists at a media briefing in Germany this week. “When you are at almost 80% market share [for intermediate single-engine helicopters], I don’t have the feeling we are lagging behind, [and] we benefit from the maturity, the reliability of the product.”
According to Jérôme Ronssin, head of the light helicopters unit at Airbus, the IFR feature will expand the H125’s mission capabilities across public service, emergency medical support, and law enforcement applications. He described these market segments as being “in high demand worldwide, and particularly in North America.”
The aircraft is currently produced at three final assembly lines across France, the U.S., and Brazil, while an upcoming fourth line in India, earmarked for civilian aircraft, is “progressing well,” according to Airbus. To date, more than 4,300 H125 helicopters have been delivered worldwide, with the wide Ecureuil family of aircraft having logged more than 40 million flight hours in the 50 years since its first flight.