Airbus Helicopters unveils H160

Airbus Helicopters has finally unveiled one of the industry’s most anticipated developments, taking the wraps off the X4 program to reveal the highly-stylized H160 at Heli-Expo 2015 in Orlando, Fla.

The 5.5- to six-tonne aircraft (the weight will be dependent upon final configuration) appears at the industry’s biggest trade show in the form of a full-scale mockup, showing off the aircraft’s five-bladed main rotor with the noise-reducing Blue Edge blades, a tilted Fenestron tail rotor, and the sleek lines of a fully-composite fuselage. 

Airbus Helicopters also revealed a scaled-back plan for the flight controls in the cockpit, with the manufacturer’s proprietary Helionix avionics system chosen instead of the futuristic pilot-aircraft interface that was proposed when the program was initiated in 2011.

Originally envisioned as a successor to Airbus Helicopters’ AS365/EC155 Dauphin family, the H160 has evolved through its development to become one tonne larger, locating it between the Dauphin and the EC175 in the manufacturer’s range — where it will likely compete with the AgustaWestland AW139, and possibly the Sikorsky S-76D. (The manufacturer said it is exploring “several options” in terms of the possible co-existence of the Dauphin and the H160.)

Bernard Fujarski, head of the X4/H160 program at Airbus Helicopters, told Vertical Show News that the H160 is now entering the final stages of development, with the first of three prototypes powered on at the end of November 2014. The flight test program is set to begin this year, and certification and first delivery of the H160 are targeted for 2018.

However, the manufacturer was keen to avoid looking too far into the future at the Heli-Expo unveil, with the aircraft’s final performance specifications set to be progressively announced as the program’s development continues (Fujarski did reveal to Vertical Show News that his team is aiming for a cruise speed of around 160 knots). Accordingly, Airbus Helicopters views the mockup more as an introduction to the H160 than an aid to a final sales pitch. Indeed, no price range has been announced and it will be taking no orders at the show; according to Fujarski, the manufacturer will only begin talking to customers about letters of intent next year. 

While the refined lines of the H160’s fuselage are certainly eye-catching, much of the focus following the unveiling of the aircraft will likely be on the aircraft’s “double swept” Blue Edge rotor blades. The blades, whose shape has been compared to a hockey stick at the tip, have been in development at Airbus Helicopters for almost a decade, but their inclusion on the H160 marks their first application in the manufacturer’s fleet. The primary intention in developing the blades was to reduce the noise generated by what are known as blade-vortex interactions (when the blade impacts the vortex created from the tip of the previous blade), and Fujarski said his team was targeting a 50 percent reduction in external noise over the Dauphin family aircraft.

He revealed that flight tests had shown the blades also provide an increase in lifting performance. “Depending on the flight conditions, it’s up to 100 kilograms of addition that they provide to the mission weight,” said Fujarski. “It’s quite significant.”

Other significant external design elements are the H160’s tilted Fenestron — which represents the first time Airbus Helicopters has angled its enclosed tail rotor — and the aircraft’s biplane horizontal stabilizer, located in front of the Fenestron on the tail boom. Fujarski said the 12-degree tilt would ease landing and final approach, as well as providing more performance for the aircraft while in a hover; the stabilizer was said to provide “excellent” aerodynamic performance in testing. Both the tilted Fenestron and stabilizer have been extensively tested on a demonstrator to mature the technologies.

The fuselage itself also represents a new step for the manufacturer, representing its first use of a fully-composite structure in a civilian helicopter. Unlike the rest of the aircraft’s development and production, which is taking place at Airbus Helicopters’ headquarters in Marignane, France, the airframe has been designed and will be produced at its facility in Donauwörth, Germany.

As well as the structural and weight benefits of using a fully-composite fuselage, the material also gave the designers a greater ability to create a stylized look for the aircraft.“We had our own internal style office, which followed all the design phases of the helicopter,” said Fujarski. “It’s the first time we have put as much emphasis on the style and loft lines of a helicopter.”

While the emphasis of the Heli-Expo reveal is firmly on the aircraft’s exterior, the manufacturer has also announced some major news with regards to its avionics and engines.

When the X4 program was first announced at Heli-Expo 2011 by the manufacturer’s then-president and CEO, Lutz Bertling, he said, “The first time you will sit in this helicopter, you will miss something: the cockpit. . . . The way of flying this helicopter will be completely different to the way helicopters are flown today.”

That ambition for a new pilot-aircraft interface has been scaled back somewhat — the H160 will indeed have a cockpit, complete with cyclic and collective, and the aircraft’s pilots will be utilizing the manufacturer’s proprietary Helionix avionics system (introduced into service on the EC145 T2 and EC175 last year).

“When the time came to decide and launch the development activity, the [original] concept was not mature enough,” said Fujarski. “It will probably be unveiled on another helicopter.”

As for the engines, the aircraft had been slated to be developed and produced with two options for its twin powerplants: Turbomeca’s new Arrano, or the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210E. However, Fujarski confirmed that the manufacturer has dropped the PW210, and would be developing the H160 with the 1,200 shaft-horsepower Arrano as its only engine choice.

“We reassessed the market needs and refined our own internal strategy, and a few months ago we requested a significant power increase [of 10 percent] from both engine suppliers,” he said. “After having conducted several studies, we made the decision — and it was in perfect conjunction and collaboration with the engine manufacturers — to go to the full development phase only with one engine [type].”

Pratt & Whitney Canada will continue to support the program until the end of the initial development phase (expected to be the end of this year), and Airbus Helicopters will then explore “other possibilities for future application” for the PW210, Fujarski said.

According to Fujarski, the manufacturer tried to remove as much of the hydraulics as possible from the aircraft’s design, but while the landing gear and brakes are electric, the servo actuators, for example, are still hydraulic.

How much of the new technology on the H160 will make the leap onto other types remains to be seen, with the manufacturer yet to confirm whether or not the Blue Edge blades, for example, will eventually be available for retrofit onto existing types in its fleet.

According to Fujarski, the aircraft’s development was the result of market studies conducted by the manufacturer that revealed the medium-lift market to be the most promising over the next 20 years — and with the Dauphin celebrating the 40th anniversary of its first flight in 2015, the manufacturer felt it was time to think about its succession. The input of Airbus Helicopters’ customers helped define the operational expectations of the H160 — and customer consultation continues to be an important element in guiding the aircraft’s evolution.

The creation of an aircraft that incorporates such new technology has called for a different approach to the development process itself. “From the beginning, we had what we call multifunctional teams, and we have performed concurrent engineering — everything at the same time,” said Fujarski. That meant not just the development of the aircraft and its performance, “but, at the same time, the way the aircraft will be supported, the associated services that we will deploy once it will enter into service,” he added.

This is because, as with the development of the EC175 (Airbus Helicopters’ most recent clean-sheet design), the manufacturer is aiming for a high degree of maturity on the product before it enters the market — clearly a challenge when incorporating as many new elements as are on the H160. 

“Readiness is really a key objective for us,” said Fujarski. “We want the aircraft to enter into service, together with all associated support, at a level of maturity we have never reached before — and of course the experience of our friends from [the] EC175 [program] is used a lot. They are paving the way for us; it’s a chance for us to benefit from lessons learned from past programs.”

The aircraft will be produced in what Airbus Helicopters calls “favorite configurations.” Similar to the existing manufacturing processes for the EC135 and EC145, this means the aircraft will be available in one of four configurations tailored to suit the aircraft’s expected applications: oil-and-gas, emergency medical services, public service (such as search-and-rescue or law enforcement), or VVIP. And, while much of the aircraft’s specifications are being kept under wraps, Fujarski said that in the oil-and-gas configuration (which is expected to represent the majority of the H160’s sales), the aircraft would be capable of carrying 12 passengers 120 nautical miles.

Away from the drama of a Heli-Expo unveiling, the H160’s development is now focused on the two “Helicopter Zero” test bench aircraft that have been created at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Marignane. The aircraft will test the H160’s electrical and mechanical systems, respectively, before first flight of the aircraft’s PT1 and PT2 prototypes later this year. “System Helicopter Zero” houses the aircraft’s electrical equipment and harnesses, together with the H160 cockpit, to refine and ensure the functionality of the electrical systems; “Dynamic Helicopter Zero” will house the H160’s engines, transmission, rotors and tail boom. The System Helicopter Zero powered on in August 2013, while the Dynamic Helicopter Zero will power on prior to first flight this year.

It certainly seems to be an exciting time for those who have spent the last four years working on the highly-secretive H160 program.

“[The unveiling] will be a major milestone for the program this year, and we will have others: the first ground run of our Dynamic Helicopter Zero, and the first flight for the prototype,” said Fujarski. “There are a lot of great days coming in 2015 for the H160.”