35-656: The Airbus Helicopters H160 (formerly X4 ) is a medium utility helicopter 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. It received its EASA type certification in July 2020, and first deliveries were in December 2021. The Airbus Helicopters H160
70-483: A biplane tailplane stabiliser for greater low speed stability, and a quieter canted fenestron which combined produce an extra 80 kg of lift. The H160 is the first civilian helicopter to utilise a canted fenestron anti-torque tail rotor. The H160 will be powered by two Turbomeca Arrano turboshaft engines; a second engine, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210E , was to be offered as an alternative option, but this
105-445: A crucial role in military operations by providing defensive capabilities in scenarios of evacuation and cargo transportation, as well as offensive roles in fire support and surveillance. Their ability to adapt to different mission requirements contribute significantly to the success of military objectives . Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ iv lə dʁijɑ̃] ; born 30 June 1947)
140-402: A level of commonality with the company's earlier Eurocopter EC145 T2 and Eurocopter EC175 helicopters. Commentators have stated that this commonality to be similar to AgustaWestland's rotorcraft family concept. Data from Airbus General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Utility helicopter A utility helicopter
175-408: A lighter, more efficient design. One weight-saving measure was the replacement of conventional hydraulic landing gear and brakes with electrical counterparts, the first helicopter in the world to do so; according to Airbus the elimination of hydraulic components makes the rotorcraft both lighter and safer. In 2015, Airbus claimed that the all-composite H160 would deliver the same basic performance as
210-530: A radio interview that the contract termination was a "stab in the back". On 17 September, France recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the US. Despite tension in the past, France had never before withdrawn its ambassador to the United States . In November 2021, in an interview with the newspaper Le Monde , Le Drian expressed concern about the economic predation weighing on African countries, pointing
245-464: Is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under President François Hollande (2012–2017). A former member of the Socialist Party , he had been an Independent from 2018 before founding Territories of Progress in 2020. Jean-Yves Le Drian
280-799: Is a multi-purpose helicopter capable of pursuing a wide array of tasks. They have proven useful in both civilian and military operations, with versatility being their defining trait. Helicopters play a crucial role in various aspects of civilian safety. Police and fire rescue aircraft demonstrate exceptional versatility across a broad spectrum of task. Common applications for civilian utility include traffic surveillance, medical evacuations , news coverage, and search and rescue missions. Recently, usage has been extended to air evacuations , air and water pollution control, emergency cargo transportation (including blood, organs, and special equipment), and as helitankers in aerial firefighting . Traditionally, helicopters with three placed reciprocating engines , such as
315-756: Is a risk for the security of Europeans". In 2020, Le Drian created the new movement Territories of Progress with fellow minister Olivier Dussopt . The announcement of the AUKUS security pact between the United States , the United Kingdom , and Australia in September 2021 sparked a period of diplomatic tensions in French-American and French-Australian relations. The French government received official notification from Australia that
350-519: Is the first rotorcraft to feature the Blue Edge five-bladed main rotor. This incorporates a double-swept shape that reduces the noise generation of blade-vortex interactions (BVI) , a phenomenon which occurs when the blade impacts a vortex created at its tip, resulting in a 3–4 dB noise reduction and raising the effective payload by 100 kg (220 lb) compared with a scaled Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin rotor design. Aerodynamic innovations include
385-588: The 47G Series and the Hughes 300C were the primary choices for civilian use. However, the preference has been shifted towards turbine engines . The FH-100 and the Bell 206A JetRanger are examples of turbine engine helicopters which have proven to be more effective in operational scenarios. The arising issue with civilian use helicopters is the price tag of the turbine engine helicopters. With initial cost being around $ 100,000, difficulties are posed when budgeting for
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#1732800938665420-456: The Attack -class submarine project, involving a A$ 90 billion Australian contract to buy 12 French submarines, was to be cancelled only a few hours before it was publicly announced. In a joint statement, Le Drian and French armed forces minister Florence Parly expressed disappointment at Australia's decision to abandon their joint submarine program with France. Le Drian further stated in
455-719: The Bretagne à gauche, Bretagne pour tous (PS-PCF-PRG-Les Verts-UDB) list, he won 58.66% of the vote in the runoff and a total of 58 seats in the Regional Council of Brittany . He thus became President of the Regional Council of Brittany . In October 2010 he became President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR). Le Drian was nominated to serve as Minister of Defence under President François Hollande on 16 May 2012. He managed
490-801: The French Air Force ’s AS555 Fennec and SA330 Pumas ; and the French army Pumas, SA341/SA342 Gazelles and Fennec. In May 2019, French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly christened this helicopter as H160M Guépard . In October 2017, the initial pair of prototypes reached 500h of flight testing while the third should make its maiden flight, the entire flight envelope had been opened leaving hot weather, antennas, optional equipment testing and certification flights. In 2018, 10 pre-serial helicopters were assembled before certification and deliveries in 2019, production
525-667: The H160 was type certified by the EASA on 1 July 2020, before FAA certification and delivery to a US customer planned for the same year. Japanese certification followed in May 2021 and in Brazil in September, and the first H160 was delivered on 10 December to All Nippon Helicopter for electronic news gathering , starting in 2022. The Airbus Helicopters H160 takes advantage of several advanced manufacturing technologies and materials in order to produce
560-548: The Socialist Party. In August 2019, Le Drian called on Hong Kong authorities to renew talks with Hong Kong protesters to find a peaceful solution to the then ongoing crisis. On 9 October 2019, Le Drian condemned the unilateral Turkish operation in Northeastern Syria and declared that Turkey 's military incursion "is jeopardising the anti-Islamic State coalition's security and humanitarian efforts and
595-602: 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
630-566: The automotive industry, is to be implemented in the H160's construction; it is a stated aim for the final assembly lead time of the new rotorcraft to be half of that of the preceding Dauphin. In March 2017, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced at Marignane that the H160 was selected as the basis for its tri-service light rotorcraft replacement programme, the hélicoptère interarmées léger (HIL), with between 160 and 190 required from 2024 to replace 420 aircraft : French navy ’s Alouette IIIs , SA 365 Dauphin and AS565 Panther ,
665-627: The cockpit being equipped with a total of four 6 in × 8 in (15 cm × 20 cm) multifunctional displays. Airbus Helicopters collaborated with Esterline CMC to develop portions of the avionics, such as the CMA-9000 Flight Management System and the CMA-5024 GPS landing system sensor, to automate the landing process. A full flight simulator has also been developed for the H160, in partnership with Helisim and Thales Group . The avionics provide
700-472: The first H160 prototype was unveiled at Airbus Helicopters' Marignane facility in France. On 13 June 2015, the first prototype performed its first flight from Marignane. By November 2015, the flight envelope of the prototype had been progressively expanded, having attained a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and a maximum speed of 175 knots (324 km/h; 201 mph) so far. On 18 December 2015,
735-406: The innovations it would feature with Airbus' development of fly-by-wire controls. Early features alluded to include 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
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#1732800938665770-576: The necessary modifications. Such modifications include night vision capabilities , infrared , and radar . In military terms, a utility helicopter is an aircraft designed to transport troops, but is versatile in performing various combat roles. These tasks include command and control , logistics, casualty evacuation, and fire support . The defining characteristics of these helicopters are lightweight frames capable of quick maneuvers , and space, for transporting troops and cargo. Common types of cargo include ammunition, weapons, and food. These aircraft play
805-611: The party's candidate for the presidential election later that year. By 23 March 2017, he eventually endorsed Emmanuel Macron 's candidacy for President of the Republic. After Macron won the presidential election , he appointed Le Drian as Foreign Minister in the First Philippe government . Le Drian remained in office when the Second Philippe government was inaugurated; on 8 March 2018, he officially resigned from
840-534: The position of Deputy Mayor of Lorient ; one year later, at the age of 30, he became a member of the National Assembly for Morbihan . He served until 1993 and then again from 1997 until 2007. He became Mayor of Lorient in 1981 and retained the office until 1988; he also served as Secretary of State for the Sea under President François Mitterrand from 1991 to 1992. In the 2004 regional elections, leading
875-457: The rival AgustaWestland AW139 while being 1 tonne lighter, having a lower fuel consumption and offering 15–20% lower direct operating costs. The composite fuselage also provided for greater design freedom of the rotorcraft's external styling. During the aircraft's development features such as full de-icing equipment and a fly-by-wire control system were deemed too heavy or costly for the benefits they would deliver and were eliminated. The H160
910-480: The same range shall bear the 'H' designation, resembling how Airbus names their commercial aircraft. A design emphasis was placed on using Airbus' production and support techniques as used for advanced fixed-wing aircraft such as the Airbus A350 passenger jet; accordingly, a pair of test rigs were built to separately test the dynamic and system elements respectively to speed up the design process. On 29 May 2015,
945-433: The second prototype's first flight having been delayed to January 2016, and that the H160's aerodynamic configuration had been validated. Testing had revealed a need to relocate some electronics systems to the rotorcraft's nose from the rear portion of the main fuselage for center of gravity reasons, while the fenestron shrouded tail rotor had reportedly exceeded performance expectations. In 2015, Airbus estimated that there
980-534: The second prototype, the first H160 to be equipped with Turbomeca Arrano engines, performed its initial ground run; its maiden flight took place on 27 January 2016. In November 2015, it was announced that certification of the H160 and its entry into service with civil operators were both scheduled to take place in 2018; a military-orientated variant, designated H160M, is aimed to enter service in 2022. In March 2016, H160 program chief Bernard Fujarski stated that nearly all milestones set for 2015 had been achieved, save for
1015-600: The withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan and the deployment of French troops in the Northern Mali conflict and Operation Barkhane . He is also credited with leading a resurgence in French weapons' exports that have resulted in billions of euros in deals, including the first exports of the Dassault Rafale fighter jet . Ahead of the Socialist Party's 2017 primaries , Kanner endorsed Manuel Valls as
1050-424: Was a market for 120–150 airframes annually; the company intends to initially increase the manufacturing rate to roughly 50 aircraft per year. In July 2016, it was announced that the aeromechanical configuration of the rotorcraft had been frozen. Manufacturing of the first production H160 is scheduled for 2017; the first delivery may take place in late 2018 or early 2019. A new production scheme, drawing inspiration from
1085-405: 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). Cutting-edge features, including proposed highly advanced control systems, were toned down or eliminated as too risky or costly. On 3 March 2015,
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1120-780: Was born in Lorient to working-class parents, Jean and Louisette, who were active members of the Young Christian Workers ( Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne , JOC). He completed his studies at the University of Rennes 2 , where he was an activist for the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (UNEF). First interested by the Breton Democratic Union (UDB) in the early 1970s, he joined the Socialist Party (PS) in May 1974. In 1977, he assumed
1155-474: Was eliminated due to insufficient power output and to reduce design complexity. A redundant backup for the gearbox lubrication system enables in excess of five hours of flight following a primary failure without causing mechanical damage. In early 2015, Airbus claimed that the H160 is intended to have a "day one" availability rate expectation exceeding 95 percent. The H160 features the Helionix avionics suite,
1190-488: 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
1225-476: Was looking to be increased to 50 per year. The first serial H160 made its maiden flight on 14 December 2018. Its Safran Arrano turboshaft received its type certificate during the June 2019 Paris Air Show , before EASA approval for the H160 planned for the fourth quarter before first delivery to a US customer for corporate transport in May 2020. After 1500 hours of flight tests and demo flights with three prototypes,
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