Rotorcraft
Airbus Helicopters Gears Up for Flight Testing of New H160 Medium Twin
X4 program materializes into innovative AW139 competitor but drops fly-by-wire controls.
The H160's first ground test took place on May 28 in Marignane, France. Airbus' new helicopter will be recognizable thanks to its Blue Edge blades for quieter operations, canted tiltrotor and biplane stabilizer. (Photo: Airbus Helicopters)
The H160's first ground test took place on May 28 in Marignane, France. Airbus' new helicopter will be recognizable thanks to its Blue Edge blades for quieter operations, canted tiltrotor and biplane stabilizer. (Photo: Airbus Helicopters)

Airbus Helicopters is here exhibiting a full-scale mockup of the H160 medium twin, a long-awaited successor for the Dauphin family designed to lock horns with the AgustaWestland AW139 on the 12-passenger market. Previously codenamed X4, the clean-sheet design features Blue Edge main rotor blades for quieter operation, a canted fenestron tail rotor for increased payload and the Helionix avionics suite, developed in-house, that can also be found on the EC145 T2 (now renamed H145) and the EC175 (now H175). Other innovations include a fully composite airframe, a biplane stabilizer–for improved main rotor efficiency–and an electrically actuated retractable landing gear.


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