Airbus Helicopters has begun flight-testing the military H160M Guépard, which is currently under development for the French Armed Forces as part of the Joint Light Helicopter programme. France selected the H160M to equip the Army, Navy, and Space Force, with the French Ministry of Armed Forces planning to order 169 of the aircraft. Delivery is expected to begin in late 2028.
“The start of the flight test campaign is a major milestone for the H160M programme. We have received excellent feedback from the French Navy on the performance of their six H160s, which have proven themselves with a high availability rate. Deployed for over two years on search and rescue missions at sea, these aircraft have demonstrated outstanding performance and reliability levels in a demanding environment,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “The H160M is an aircraft tailored for tomorrow’s military operations: reliable, agile, highly connected, and equipped with the latest generation of sensors and weaponry. Most importantly, it is highly scalable and can adapt to changing operational contexts.”
Plans are in place for three prototypes, with the second currently in final assembly and destined for hot and cold weather campaigns, and the first intended to be used for validating flight performance and firing campaigns in 2026.
The H160M is equipped with Safran Arrano engines, Thales FlytX avionics, Safran’s Euroflir 410 electro-optical system, Thales’ AirMaster C radar, and an Airbus mission system. It is also the first Airbus helicopter to be natively equipped with a drone cooperation system.
Photo: Airbus
