Airbus Helicopters' H160 has been granted type certificate by EASA. The company is expecting FAA certification to follow shortly, prior to the helicopter's first delivery to an undisclosed US customer later this year.

“The successful completion of the H160 type certificate is the result of several years of tremendous work and efforts accomplished jointly by the involved technical teams of the agency and Airbus Helicopters in a remarkable fruitful cooperative spirit,” EASA certification director Rachel Daeschler says. “It is the result of thorough design and testing efforts, to ensure the highest safety standards are reached. The design of the H160 makes it suitable for a wide range of versatile missions. It is also one of the most environmentally friendly with respect to fuel consumption and one of the quietest helicopters of its class.

“My personal appreciation and warmest congratulations are conveyed to the involved technical staff who continuously showed high commitment to constructive collaboration to overcome the challenges inherent to this type certification project.”

CEO of Airbus Helicopters Bruno Even adds: “We are proud that the H160 has received its EASA type certificate. This achievement represents years of hard work designing, industrialising and defining the support ecosystem with our suppliers and partners, and I would like to thank everyone who has dedicated their time and energy to turning this next generation helicopter into reality. I now look forward to the H160 entering into service and offering its innovative features that bring competitiveness alongside additional comfort and safety to customers worldwide.”

Airbus Helicopters relied on three prototypes, the first serial aircraft and two additional test means, the dynamic helicopter zero and the system helicopter zero, to develop and certify the aircraft, and it continues to mature the aircraft ahead of entry into service. The helicopters have flown over 1,500 hours both for flight tests and demo flights.