The Airbus Helicopters H160 medium twin has been granted type certification by Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), paving the way for entry into service in that country with All Nippon Helicopters (ANH). ANH already operates six Airbus Helicopters AS365s and five H135s used for electronic newsgathering. Customer preparation already has begun, while technical training is now underway in Kobe, Japan, where an H160 Helionix avionics trainer has been deployed.
Additional H160 deliveries are slated for later this year in Brazil, UK, and U.S. The aircraft received EASA type certification approval in July 2020, though FAA certification is still pending. The H160 features technologies such as noise-reducing Blue Edge main rotor blades and more fuel-efficient Safran Arrano engines.
Airbus has logged orders for more than 40 H160s to date, including 11 last year. Additionally, the French armed forces could purchase as many as 169 copies of a militarized variant, the H160M, that remains under development. More potential H160 customers include France’s Gendarmerie Nationale for 10 units and Spain’s Guardia Civil.