The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded certification to the Airbus H160 helicopter, allowing the all-new medium helicopter to enter service in the United States.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certificated the H160 back in July 2020, and deliveries began in 2021. Airbus has received orders for more than 100 H160s from customers around the world. The H160 is currently in commercial service in Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Europe. The worldwide fleet has accumulated more than 1,700 flight hours to date, Airbus says.
The H160 replaced the long-serving H155 in Airbus’ product line. It features noise-reducing Blue Edge rotor blades, a canted Fenestron tail rotor, and Airbus Helicopters’ own Helionix avionics suite for reduced pilot workload. It competes primarily against Leonardo’s popular AW139 model.
Airbus says U.S. customers have ordered more than a dozen H160s so far. To help train pilots in the region, Airbus is adding an H160 level-D full flight simulator (FFS) to its Helisim Simulation Center inside the Airbus Helicopters Inc facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. It plans to open the FFS in the second half of 2025.
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Douglas Royce is currently co-editor of four of Forecast International's Market Intelligence Services: Civil Aircraft Forecast, Military Aircraft Forecast, Rotorcraft Forecast, and Aviation Gas Turbine Forecast. As such, he plays a key role in many important projects that involve market sizing and forecasting for various segments of the world aerospace industry, as well as demand for related systems.
