On March 11, 2025, Airbus Helicopters of the Airbus Group introduced a new lightweight twin-engine helicopter of the three-ton class H140. The official presentation of the H140 was made at the world's largest helicopter industry exhibition VERTICON 2025 in Dallas, USA.
Official presentation image of the new Airbus Helicopters H140 (c) Airbus Helicopters
The start of deliveries of the H140 is scheduled for 2028 and the helicopter is positioned primarily for medical services. Structurally, the H140 is a development of the H135 helicopter design and was initially designated as the H135T4 during the development phase. Flight tests of the first and so far only prototype H135T4 (German registration D-HEEY) began at the Airbus Helicopters facility in Donauwerth, Germany in June 2023. The H140 helicopter differs from the H135 by an increased cabin volume (by 20% to 6.1 cubic meters), higher cruising speed and improved flight characteristics, and, as stated, will have operating costs comparable to helicopters of a smaller class. The H140 has a new all-composite tail boom design, including a raised one (to facilitate access to the rear door when using a stretcher), and a tail unit with an upper T-shaped stabilizer.
The H140 is powered by two new 700 hp Safran Arrius 2E turboshaft engines equipped with dual-channel FADEC and improved fuel efficiency. The five-bladed main rotor is borrowed from the H145 helicopter. The tail 10-blade propeller is made according to the Fenestron scheme.
The maximum take-off weight of the H140 is 3,175 kg, which is higher than the 2,980 kg of the H135, which is very close to the 7,000-pound certification weight limit for FAA Part 27 and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-27 standards for rotorcraft of the normal category. The weight of the empty H140 is not disclosed. In the passenger version, the H140 is capable of accommodating six passengers.
It is expected that the second prototype of the H140 will begin flight tests in the second half of 2025, and two more prototypes, including the fourth prototype conforming to the standard of mass production, should be built in 2026. Market entry is expected first in the emergency medical care sector, while the corporate VIP version, which will be sold by Airbus Corporate Helicopters, should be available by the end of the decade. The final assembly of the serial H140s will be carried out together with the H135 and H145 helicopters at the Airbus Helicopters facility in Donauwerth.
Immediately after the presentation of the H140 helicopter at VERTICON 2025, Airbus Helicopters announced that it had received contracts and options for 64 units of this type, 54 of them from American operators (including 36, 12 of them in hard contract and 24 in option from Metro Aviation ).
The first flight prototype of the Airbus Helicopters H140 (H135T4, German registration D-HEEY) (c) Airbus Helicopters
(c) Airbus Helicopters
