Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

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&nbsp;AS365 and H155.&nbsp;
The approval clears the way for deliveries into the U.S.&nbsp;where Sikorsky has discontinued manufacture of the S-76D medium twin, which presents an opportunity. &nbsp;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?&nbsp;&nbsp;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.&nbsp;
<h2>Lengthy Gestation</h2>
Airbus first applied for FAA certification approval for the H160 in 2014 and applied for an extension in 2016.&nbsp;The helicopter 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.&nbsp;That included recently adopted “special conditions” related to the helicopter’s main gearbox redundant lubrication system.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;
U.S. launch customer PHI Aviation will operate four Airbus H160s to service a support contract for Shell Exploration &amp; Production Company&nbsp;in the Gulf of Mexico under a 10-year contract from its base in Houma, Louisiana.&nbsp;
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&nbsp;at the Helisim Simulation Center inside the Airbus Helicopters facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. The FFS will have the capacity to accommodate 400 pilots and 4,000 training hours annually. It will join an existing H160 FFS in Marignane, France, that became operational in August 2020 and has logged 1,500 training hours since March 2023.&nbsp;
The H160&nbsp;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. &nbsp;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. It is powered by&nbsp;a pair of 1,300-shp&nbsp;Safran Arrano 1A engines and features noise-reducing Blue Edge rotor blades, a canted Fenestron tail rotor for greater useful load, and Airbus Helicopters’ Helionix avionics. The five-bladed Blue Edge system features active tracking with a double-sweep design that cuts noise and vibration.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Electrically-powered brakes and landing gear replace typical hydraulic systems, chopping weight and improving reliability. A computerized health usage and monitoring system (HUMS) monitors key systems aboard the aircraft and can transmit data parameters to monitored ground stations while the helicopter is flying.&nbsp;
Airbus has received orders for more than 100 civil H160s, including more than 12&nbsp;in the U.S. The helicopter already is in service in markets including Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Europe and the fleet has accumulated more than 1,700 flight hours. Airbus has H160s on order&nbsp;for offshore transportation, private and business aviation, search-and-rescue, and law-enforcement missions.
FAA certification follows the announcement of an order for 50 H160s from China’s GDAT in April&nbsp;and an order for 10 last year from&nbsp;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. The latter is part of a 2020 government stimulus plan to support France’s aeronautical industry. Six already have been delivered to the Marine Nationale (French Navy) for search and rescue duty and coastal patrol in a deal with operator Babcock.&nbsp;But hopes of an H160M serving as the replacement for the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) aging fleet of nearly 90-strong MH-65 Dolphins, a militarized version of the venerable Airbus AS365, faded when it became apparent that the H160’s taller vertical stabilizer could not fit through the hangar door on most of its ships.&nbsp;The USCG is currently&nbsp;incrementally replacing its MH-65s with a version of the Sikorsky HH-60, the MH-60T Jayhawk.&nbsp;
<h2>Executive Interior Options</h2>
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 that you are likely to find in a corporate jet. Other materials including laminate wooden floors and carbon-fiber can be substituted.
The ACH160 Exclusive is the premium version of the H160. According to Airbus, it provides 20 percent&nbsp;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. Overall, according to the&nbsp;company, the ACH160 “provides the highest level of interior customization and bespoke craftsmanship for the most discerning customers” with features that include hinged doors, an electric footstep, and double-glazed windows.&nbsp;Sponsons added along the lower cabin sides that incorporate electrically actuated footsteps and a life raft.
Airbus also has delivered an electronic news gathering ship to Japan’s All Nippon Helicopter in 2021. However, less than a dozen civil H160s have been delivered to date, according to data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), a reflection of the protracted FAA approval process for the aircraft.&nbsp;
<h2>New Technology &amp; Manufacturing</h2>
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. Each assembly will be completed and tested before it reaches the production line. The concept is similar to one successfully used by Bombardier for more than two decades on its Challenger 300/3500 series business jets.&nbsp;&nbsp;The flow will be automated and move down two production lines, each with several workstations capable of assembling various H160 configurations. Airbus estimates the market for this category at 120 helicopters per year and the Marignane line will have an initial capacity of 50 helicopters per year.&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;&nbsp;The gyratory combustion chamber features 3D-printed fuel injectors. Altogether, the engine design cuts fuel consumption by an estimated 15 percent and produces reduced emissions compared to current engines. The Arrano is currently certified to operate on up to a 50 percent sustainable aviation fuel blend.&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;&nbsp;While Airbus eschewed pricey fly-by-wire flight controls, 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.&nbsp;However, it will not prevent accidents under extreme conditions in situations including insufficient recovery altitude. 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.&nbsp;
Other advanced features include traffic and weather advisories, terrain avoidance, and synthetic vision systems.&nbsp;Gathered as a whole, Airbus calls the H160’s avionics “accrued pilot assistance” and it includes flight envelope protection including a pre-alerting system to allow pilots to avoid vortex ring state, also known as “settling with power.” Once alerted, the pilot can simply press the “go around” button on the collective to escape the condition.&nbsp;
<h2>HEMS Niche Market Potential&nbsp;</h2>
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.&nbsp;The quick-change cabins are particularly appealing to oil and gas operators.&nbsp;Medical equipment that can be factory installed includes a multifunction adapter plate, side-loading stretcher system, medical swiveling seats, jump seat, multifunction&nbsp;cabinet with integrated service and control panel and lighting, medical stowage racks, strap-down devices with a drawer for&nbsp;oxygen bottles, and optional incubator.&nbsp;
However, the civil HEMS market for medium twins like the H160 remains relatively small at this juncture, with an estimated 60—out of a helicopter air ambulance fleet of approximately 1,000—operating in the U.S. and 240 worldwide.&nbsp;But HEMS is just one of the missions Airbus envisions for the multi-role H160. Equally important is its role as serving as a catalyst for the way Airbus builds and supports its helicopters.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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