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The H160 can be used for private and business aviation flights, oil-and-gas passenger transport, emergency medical services, or public services missions. Thierry Rostang Photo

Airbus expects April certification of Safran Arrano as H160 program passes 1,100 flight hours

By Oliver Johnson | February 19, 2019

Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 52 seconds.

Airbus is expecting certification of the Safran Arrano engine for its next-generation medium H160 by the end of April, as it begins a focused campaign to secure more orders for the type from the stagnant offshore oil-and-gas transport sector.

Babcock was named the global launch customer for the Airbus H160 after signing an agreement to purchase "a fleet" of the type in 2018. Airbus Helicopters Photo
Babcock was named the global launch customer for the Airbus H160 after signing an agreement to purchase “a fleet” of the type in 2018. Airbus Helicopters Photo

The H160 program has now completed 1,100 flight hours across three prototypes and the first serial aircraft, which took its first flight in December 2018. About 1,500 flight hours will likely be recorded by the time the aircraft is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), expected by the end of this year. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval is anticipated to follow shortly afterwards.

Airbus secured 15 sales of the type in 2018, which met its internal plans for the H160’s first year of orders, Bernard Fujarksi, senior vice president of the H160 program, told journalists at a press event at Airbus Helicopters’ headquarters in Marignane, France. However, the manufacturer’s hopes to sell more were hit by the ongoing downturn in the offshore oil-and-gas transport sector, and if this trend continues, it may have to rethink its production ramp up for the next-generation medium, he added.

Thus far, launch customer Babcock represents the only oil-and-gas sale, and it has yet to decide whether it wants that first aircraft in an emergency medical services (EMS) or oil-and-gas configuration when it is delivered in mid-2020.

Airbus currently expects to be able to produce 30 H160s per year at its final assembly line (FAL) in Marignane after two years of production.

“If we are not able to sell [more H160s] in [the] oil-and-gas [segment], it will probably change our plan regarding the industrial ramp up,” said Fujarski. “That’s the reason why we are deploying currently a specific approach . . . with oil-and-gas customers, in order to catch — and it’s a priority for this year — sales on that market segment.”

The offshore market will return, he added, “it’s just a question of when exactly.” Airbus believes there will be a huge opportunity for the H160 in replacing aging Sikorsky S-76s and some Leonardo AW139s over the coming years. “If you look at the fleet worldwide being operated by the customers in that segment, it is significant,” said Fujarski.

And while the oil-and-gas market has proved something of challenge, the aircraft has secured sales to VIP and EMS customers — and the degree of the H160’s success with EMS operators has been a pleasant surprise for the manufacturer.

“When the [H160] program was launched, the EMS segment was not really identified as a target,” said Fujarski. But with EMS operators looking for bigger aircraft capable of carrying more medical equipment, the size of the H160’s cabin has proved appealing, he said. “So we are working on several tenders for EMS applications that were beyond our expectation a few years ago.”

As with existing Airbus airframes, customers will be free to pick the completion center of their choice to get their “green” H160 outfitted into an EMS configuration, with the manufacturer already having held “several” working sessions with major completion companies to prepare them for working with the type.

After EMS, VIP and transport configurations are certified, Airbus will work on those for search-and-rescue and public service/law enforcement customers.

Ultimately, Airbus hopes to produce 50 H160s a year in Marignane, but to get to that figure it will require military deliveries.

While the military version of the H160 — the H160M — has been chosen as the platform for the French military’s tri-service HIL program, which has an initial requirement for about 170 aircraft, the program won’t be officially launched until 2022, with initial deliveries likely in the 2027/28 timeframe, said Fujarski.

“Up to 2027/2028 we’ll have to live with the existing civilian market,” said Fujarski. “That’s the reason why we are working hard in order to develop a segment such as oil-and-gas, which has been so calm up to now.”

Fujarski said HIL “is a significant program that address a lot of needs and a lot of missions,” with the same basic aircraft design used to complete up to 15 different missions for the French armed forces. This will help accelerate the H160M’s catalogue of options and configurations for the export market, he added.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer is continuing certification efforts for the civilian version of the type, with fatigue and endurance testing the main hurdles to clear, along with qualification reviews.

Development of the type’s support and services program has continued in parallel, in keeping with Airbus’s desire to launch new programs with fully mature support systems in place. For example, the manufacturer has completed all flight testing for a full flight simulator set to be available at the time of first delivery.

Once the H160 has received EASA and FAA certification, Airbus will pursue regulatory approval in Brazil, Canada, and Japan, said Fujarski.

 

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