Airbus Helicopters is about to cash-in a big bet. In late June the company received FAA certification for its H160 medium-class twin—exactly three years after it received EASA certification and eight years after the helicopter was first announced as a replacement for the company’s AS365 and H155.
The approval clears the way for deliveries into the U.S. where Sikorsky has discontinued manufacture of the S-76D medium twin, which presents an opportunity.
But the larger question is, can the H160 credibly challenge Leonardo’s slightly larger and market-leading AW139 intermediate twin across its broad mission spectrum, from offshore energy to air ambulance and even some military applications? Airbus thinks so. The H160’s overall maintenance costs will be more in line with that of a light twin than a medium one; and its comparatively lighter weight and greater efficiency, an estimated 15 to 20 percent better than the AW139’s, will resonate with buyers.
Lengthy Gestation
The H160 received EASA certification on July 1, 2020; however, various novel design features outside the existing parameters of FAR Part 29 regulation slowed the U.S. approval process, which Airbus executives had hoped would conclude as early as 2021.
That included recently adopted “special conditions” related to the helicopter’s main gearbox redundant lubrication system. FAR Part 29 requires a helicopter to have the ability to fly for 30 minutes following gearbox lubrication failure, validated via bench testing. Airbus was allowed to satisfy the requirement inclusive of “reduction factors” related to associated systems such as oil coolers.
U.S. launch customer PHI Aviation will operate four Airbus H160s to support Shell Exploration & Production in the Gulf of Mexico under a 10-year contract from its base in Houma, Louisiana.
Entry into service in the U.S. will be facilitated by the addition of North America’s first H160 level-D full flight simulator (FFS). The FFS is expected to be ready for use as early as the second half of 2025 at the Helisim Simulation Center inside the Airbus Helicopters facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. It will join an existing H160 FFS in Marignane, France.
The H160 has an all-composite airframe, a maximum takeoff weight of 13,436 pounds with seating for 12 passengers (utility configuration), and two crew in a flat floor cabin with oversized windows. The aft baggage compartment can accommodate 661 pounds. It has a cruise speed of up to 150 knots, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet, and a range of 475 nm with standard tanks.
Powered by a pair of 1,300-shp Safran Arrano 1A engines, the helicopter features noise--reducing Blue Edge rotor blades, a canted Fenestron tail rotor for greater useful load, and Airbus Helicopters’ Helionix avionics.
Airbus has received orders for more than 100 civil H160s, including more than 12 in the U.S. The helicopter already is in service in markets including Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Europe.
FAA certification follows the announcement of an order for 50 H160s from China’s GDAT in April and an order for 10 last year from Gendarmerie Nationale—the French National Police—as part of a contract for the procurement of 169 militarized versions designated H160Ms for the French Ministry of Armed Forces.
Executive Interior Options
In the executive transport space, Airbus has developed Airbus Corporate Helicopter (ACH) variants of the helicopter, badged ACH160, with three distinct interiors—Line, Line with Lounge, and Exclusive—and made its initial delivery into Brazil in 2022. The ACH160’s interior concepts were developed in concert with Pegasus Design and feature the same styling, high-grade carpets, leathers, veneers, plating, and connectivity as a corporate jet.
The ACH160 Exclusive is the premium version of the H160. According to Airbus, it provides 20 percent greater volume per passenger compared with previous--generation medium twin helicopters and 35 percent larger windows than its competitors, resulting in the brightest cabin in its class.
ACH interiors feature passenger seating between four and eight. However, even with the larger windows, passengers can hold conversations without headsets due to both cabin soundproofing and the reduced noise signature of the Blue Edge blades.
New Tech & Manufacturing
The H160 represents a sea change for Airbus Helicopters, both in terms of manufacture and technology. Airbus has established a new automotive-style production line for the helicopter in Marignane that brings the helicopter together in five major subcomponents with a start-to-finish assembly time estimated at 40 days and an overall production time from component order to final assembly of just 18 weeks.
Airbus estimates the market for this category at 120 helicopters per year and Marignane will have an initial capacity of 50 helicopters per year.
On the technology side, the Safran Arrano engines feature a two-stage centrifugal compressor and variable inlet guided vanes, which cut fuel consumption in all phases of flight and particularly at cruise power. The gyratory combustion chamber features 3D-printed fuel injectors. Altogether, the engine design cuts fuel consumption by an estimated 15 percent and reduces emissions compared to current engines.
The Helionix avionics are similar to those in the super-medium Airbus H175 and in-aircraft transition training between the two requires only two instructional flights, following Leanardo’s “family” strategy of commonality with the avionics in its AW139, AW169, and AW189 models.
The avionics couple to a full-time, four-axis autopilot and first-limit indicator that shows all the engine instrument data. Pilots can still fly the helicopter manually, but the autopilot takes over whenever hands are taken off the flight controls or the aircraft is pushed outside its safe operating envelope. For landing in limited visibility conditions such as brownout or whiteout, the pilot can “double beep” a button on the cyclic which automatically restores safe hover.
Airbus calls the H160’s avionics “accrued pilot assistance,” and it includes flight envelope protection with a pre-alerting system to allow pilots to avoid vortex ring state. Once alerted, the pilot can simply press the “go around” button on the collective to escape the condition.
HEMS Niche Market Potential
Airbus hopes these safety features will make the H160 attractive to the HEMS market. Helicopter air ambulance is one area where Airbus executives think the H160 can make a credible run at the AW139, where the company forecasts that medium twin usage could increase by up to 30 percent as more hospitals consolidate, need to transport patients longer distances, and carry more personnel and equipment.
The H160’s full-time autopilot makes it a strong IFR machine, its Safran Arrano 1A engines are designed for a two--minute start sequence and quick restarting, and its standard maximum takeoff weight still enables use at most hospital helipads.
Airbus began discussions with EMS providers early in the helicopter’s development and from that gleaned critical design features for helicopter air ambulance cabins including factory installation of medical interiors, uniform attach points for mechanical and electrical interfaces, and cabins that can be quick-changed in as little as 30 minutes.
Medical equipment that can be factory installed includes a multifunction adapter plate, side-loading stretcher system, medical swiveling seats, jump seat, multifunction cabinet with integrated service and control panel and lighting, medical stowage racks, strap-down devices with a drawer for oxygen bottles, and optional incubator.
However, the civil HEMS market for medium twins like the H160 remains relatively small at this juncture, with about 60 operating in the U.S. and 240 worldwide.
But HEMS is just one of the missions Airbus envisions for the multi-role H160. Equally important is its role serving as a catalyst for the way Airbus builds and supports its helicopters.