First of Six Aircraft Delivered for SAR Duty, Input on H160M Guépard Development

The French Navy took delivery of the first Airbus H160 helicopter this month, fulfilling the first of 6 aircraft purchased for their Search and Rescue mission. 

The aircraft is part of an interim fleet delivered by a partnership formed by Airbus Helicopters, Babcock, and Safran Helicopter Engines. It’s a landmark delivery as the first delivery of an H160 to a military customer, the last pair being sold off to civilian customers around the world. 

“The delivery of the first H160 to a military customer is a major milestone for the H160 program,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “This is the first public service version of the H160 to be delivered worldwide. Furthermore, the delivery takes place soon after two H160s entered into service this summer, in Brazil for the private and business aviation segment and in Japan for news gathering missions”, he added. “With this H160 we will strengthen our partnership with the French Navy, delivering the right helicopter for its critical search and rescue missions. Together with our partners, we will also ensure that the H160 is ready when needed”.

The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) signed the initial contract for 4 of the SAR-configured H160 aircraft in 2020, exercising the option to add an additional 2 last year. The timeline so far has been brisk, with the now-French helicopter tendered to Babcock from Airbus Helicopters last may for final configuration into French Naval Search and Rescue specification. The layout requested for their use features a Safran Euroflir 4100 electro optical system, a sufficiently premium sensor suite not often found on civilian aircraft. When lives are on the line, though, the money is well spent, allowing the H160 to pick out details and features in the water with much greater accuracy than garden variety imagine systems. 

Once all 6 of the Navy’s SAR aircraft are delivered, the fleet will put them into use at a few air stations throughout the French coast where their flight operations and rescue missions will be carefully gauged to help guide development of the upcoming H160M Guépard. Currently 169 Guépards are on order under the French Joint Light Helicopter program, which will be spread throughout the service to replace a disparate collection of 5 different models with one single type. That purchase makes the SAR H160 even more important, as whatever feedback is gleaned from its use will go on to influence decades of French air power. 

FMI: www.airbus.com