France will transfer its armed forces to a single unified helicopter. Yesterday, December 23, the portal janes.com He reported that the French Defense Ministry ordered 169 H160M multipurpose vehicles for €8.6 billion to Airbus.
Deliveries of serial helicopters should begin in 2027. The initial contract includes 30 H160M—21 units for the Army, 8 for the Navy and 1 for the French Air Force. In total, the complex order includes 169 helicopters, not counting options for additional vehicles.
Full-size mock-up of the H160M Guépard helicopter
Image source: airbus.com
"The H160M is a completely new helicopter. It will replace five different models, some of which have been in operation for more than 40 years. This is a concrete example of updating our equipment. The new helicopter will be used in the Army, Navy and Air Force. This will increase its availability and reduce maintenance costs," French Defense Minister Florence Parly said.
The H160M is being developed on the basis of the H160 civilian helicopter, which made its first flight in 2015. The army modification will enter service under the name Guépard ("Cheetah") and will be used in various missions - from the transfer of special forces to anti-ship operations.
In the civilian version, the H160 has a mass of 4.2 tons at 5.6 tons of total take-off weight. The diameter of the main rotor is 12 m, the maximum speed is 325 km / h, the range is 852 km, the flight altitude is 5900 m. The helicopter accommodates 14 people, including two crew members.
