Airbus unveils all-composite H160 civil helicopter

Airbus Helicopters today presented its all-new H160 all-composite civil helicopter and the first product introduced with the Airbus Helicopters corporate identity and its new numbering designation.
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Airbus Helicopters unveiled the the 5.5-6-ton twin-engine H160 at the Heli-Expo industry show’s opening in Orlando, Florida, where a full-scale representative model is being displayed on the company’s exhibit stand.
“The H160 represents Airbus Helicopters’ strategy to provide the most efficient solutions for our customers, who serve, protect, save lives and safely carry passengers in the most demanding environments,” said president Guillaume Faury. “We are driven by this mission, because what is important to our customers is essential to us.’”
The H160 integrates as many as 68 different Airbus Helicopters-patented technologies. Airbus said its payload lift, range and efficiency make it ideally suited for a wide variety of uses, including oil and gas operations; public services, air medical and coast guard duties; along with commercial transport, private and business aviation.
With a cruise speed of 160 kts., the H160 can carry 12 passengers at distances of up to 120 NM. for oil and gas missions, and a 450-NM range with 20-minute reserve in public service or search and rescue tasks.
The distinctive design of the H160 includes the largest-ever Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, which is also double-canted at 12-deg. angles, further enhancing anti-torque control efficiency; and the all-new Biplane Stabilizer, whose unique design involves a staggered placement of the dual-level, interconnected stabilizers. This feature facilitates pilot maneuvers and significantly reduces aerodynamic penalties in low-speed flight and hover.
An additional H160 technology breakthrough is Airbus Helicopters’ initial production use of its Blue Edge main rotor blades, which reduce exterior noise levels by 50 percent (3 dB) and also allow a payload increase of up to 100 kg. when compared to traditional rotor blades, depending on flight conditions.
To power its H160, Airbus selected the new Turbomeca 1,100-shp. Arrano engine, which offers significant reductions in fuel consumption for improved range and payload performance, along with a reduced environmental footprint. An optimized maintenance concept designed to significantly decrease the need for on-site servicing will contribute to lower operational costs for the helicopter.
Additional features of the H160 include electric landing gear, requiring less maintenance while also allowing more payload to be carried; easy access to various maintenance areas, which was taken into consideration during the concurrent engineering process; along with flexibility in the maintenance plan to match operators’ needs and constraints thanks to the MSG-3 (Maintenance Steering Group-3) inspection methodology.
Development of the H160 began in 2013, with the definition of the final aircraft configuration confirmed this year. The helicopter’s first flight will also take place in 2015 and service entry is planned for 2018.