As the industry gathers for this year’s Heli-Expo, three of the big four Western helicopter OEMs are scheduled to bring new, long-awaited civil models to market in 2019. Each promises to be a game-changer in its respective category with regard to speed, efficiencies, and capabilities. Their success in the marketplace will in no small measure be at least partially determined by the willingness of offshore energy companies to continue to increase capital expenditures for exploration and production. These increases are relatively modest this year. They follow a period of severe retrenchment that started in 2014 and has left helicopter lessors and operators with significant overcapacity. In some cases, that has led to bankruptcy filings and attempts to diversify their business models to be less dependent on oil-and-gas revenues.
Airbus Helicopters flew the first production model of its new H160 medium twin in December. It will join the three prototypes, which have already accumulated more than 1,000 flight-test hours. It is one of 10 pre-serial-production aircraft that the company plans to assemble in the coming months as it refines its production process. The helicopter will be delivered to launch customer Babcock in 2020. When the helicopter achieves full-rate production, Airbus expects to assemble an H160 in as little as 40 days on the helicopter’s new, dedicated production line in Marignane, France. Babcock plans to take delivery of a fleet of the aircraft “for worldwide operations” over a five-year period. Airbus said it expects EASA and FAA certification for the H160 by the end of this year.
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