Airbus Helicopters H160
| H160 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| H160 mockup at Dubai Airshow 2015 | |
| Role | Medium utility helicopter |
| National origin | Multinational |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Helicopters |
| First flight | 13 June 2015 |
| Status | Under development |
The Airbus Helicopters H160 (formerly X4) is a medium utility helicopter being developed by Airbus Helicopters. Formally launched at Heli-Expo in Orlando, Florida on 3 March 2015, it is intended to replace the AS365 and EC155 models in the firm's lineup. In June 2015, the first test flight took place; the first customer deliveries were expected in 2018 and are now slipped to 2019.
The Airbus Helicopters H160 was first revealed to the public in 2011, at which point it was referred to by company representatives by the designation X4 – a designation which implied it to be a follow-on from the Eurocopter X3, a high-speed hybrid helicopter technology demonstrator. Speaking in early 2011, Eurocopter (later renamed as Airbus Helicopters) chief Lutz Bertling declared that the X4 would be a "game changer", contrasting significance of the innovations it would feature with Airbus' development of fly-by-wire controls. Early features alluded to included Blue Edge active tracking rotor blades, advanced pilot assistance functionality, and reduced vibration to "near-jet" levels of smoothness. The X4 was also described as having a "radically different" cockpit, Bertling stating that "The cockpit as we know it today will not be there". It was also announced that the X4 would be introduced in two stages: an interim model in 2017 with some of the advanced features absent, and a more advanced model following in 2020.
The development program for the X4 cost €1 billion ($1.12 billion), even after numerous cutting-edge features, including proposed highly advanced control systems, were toned down or eliminated as too risky or costly. On 3 March 2015, the X4 was formally unveiled under the H160 designation. It has been marketed as a successor to the company's existing Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin and competes with the AgustaWestland AW139, Sikorsky S-76 and Bell 412; Guillaume Faury, Airbus Helicopters Chief Executive, referred to the H160 as being "the AW139 killer". The H160 began Airbus Helicopter's re-branded naming convention; starting 1 January 2016, helicopters in the same range shall bear the 'H' designation, resembling how Airbus names their commercial aircraft.
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