Airbus Helicopters announced on Friday that it has received type certification from the FAA for its H160 twin-engine helicopter. Introduced in 2015, the model earned its European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificate in July 2020 and has entered service in Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Europe. According to Airbus, it currently has orders for more than 12 H160s in the U.S. and over 100 globally.
“We are pleased to receive FAA certification for the H160, which is testament to many years of hard work and commitment from our teams in order to deliver this multirole helicopter to the customers in North America who have already placed their trust in the H160,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. “This aircraft features the highest level of innovation and we are confident that its advanced capabilities, along with our strong customer support network, will solidify its position as the preferred choice for customers in the U.S.”
Designed for operations including offshore transportation, private and business aviation, emergency medical services, commercial passenger transport, search and rescue and law enforcement, the Airbus Helicopters H160 offers a top speed of 150 knots, 475-NM range and useful load of 4,409 pounds. It is powered by Safran Arrano 1A engines and comes equipped with Airbus Helicopters’ Helionix avionics suite. Airbus noted that the H160 fleet has logged more than 1700 flight hours to date.
