Page 12 - AAA JULY - AUGUST 2015 Online Magazine

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FEATURE ROTARY WINGS

Next Gen Helicopters

Development of new generation of commercial helicopters is progressing well
By J K Chandra

THE NExT GENERATION OF MEDIUM slice of the super-medium helicopter
and super-medium class helicopters market dominated by AgustaWestland
have successfully completed their and Sikorsky. It may be a late entrant, but
maiden flights, in the Airbus Helicopters Bell Helicopter is packing in the latest in
H160 and Bell 525 Relentless. The H160 technology into its newest helicopter that
will be the world’s first all-composite promises to be a formidable competitor in
helicopter to enter commercial service, the super-medium class.
while Bell Helicopter’s 525 Relentless, The H160 completed its first flight in
will be the first commercial helicopter the month of June and service entry for
on sale with full fly-by-wire (FBW) flight the all-new type is planned for 2016. The
controls. Designed to carry up to 12 development and test phase, will make
passengers, within a radius of action of use of three dedicated prototypes and
120 nautical miles, the twin-engine H160 two “Helicopter Zero” (HC0), integration
seeks to be the benchmark helicopter test examples. The H160 is slated to offer
in the medium segment and will take an improvement in efficiency up to 15 to
on AgustaWestland’s highly successful 20% greater than its market rivals. The
AW139. Airbus Helicopters will accept new Blue Edge blade, with double swept
H160 orders from next year, slotting it tips, was developed in cooperation with
between the H145 and H175. Bell’s 525 French aerospace lab (Office National
Relentless is a clean-sheet design by Bell d’Etudes et Recherches Aérospatiales
Helicopter that aims to take a substantial (ONERA) and is key to the substantially
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