Page 26 - ADT JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2021 Online Magazine

navy. The new helicopter is derived from the EASA-certified H160 410 electro-optical system, the Thales FlytX
commercial helicopter. cockpit avionics suite, and AirMaster C radar.
Its pilots will be able to use Thales’ TopOwl
Capable Rotorcraft Helmet-mounted Sight & Display. The Guépard
The H160M programme has moved quickly since French Defence will also carry a self-protection suite, a satel-
Minister, Florence Parly, unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the lite communication system and tactical data
new helicopter during a visit Airbus Helicopters headquarters at link system. The H160M will be equipped with [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
Marignane in 2019. The H160M programme further secures indus- Airbus Helicopters’ HForce weapon system, a
trial activity at Airbus Helicopter’s Marignane site till the mid-2030s. modular and incremental solution that allows
80 per cent of H160 suppliers are based in France, mainly in the the integration of a large variety of weapons.
south and the programme is expected to create over 2,000 jobs The helicopter’s weapon package will include
in France. The six tonne Guépard helicopter will have a maximum MBDA’s Sea Venom/ANL next generation multi-
speed of 147 knots and a radius of action of 850 km. It will be able role surface attack weapon, pod mounted and
to accommodate five fully armed soldiers, in addition to its crew of door mounted guns. Development of the Sea
two pilots. According to Airbus Helicopters, trials were conducted Venom/ANL helicopter-launched, over-the-
in July 2021 in the Moroccan desert which demonstrated the effi- horizon anti-ship weapon system is being jointly
ciency of the H160’s inlet barrier filtration system that protect its funded by the UK and French Governments.
Safran Arrano engines against sand ingestion. The desert tests The new weapon features significant advances
on both Sea Skua and AS15TT and will be capa-
ble of defeating the most challenging target
set presented by today’s open water and lit-
toral maritime operations. The 110kg ANL will
engage targets at subsonic speeds.

The first of a new generation of military heli-
copters, the H160M will ensure simplified
maintenance requirements along with lower
cost of operations as compared to current
generation military rotorcraft and also offer
optimised flight safety. Operators will also
benefit from greater economies of scale by
optimising support and spares. To ensure a
high level of availability while reducing operat-
ing costs, the H160M’s support and services
needs were taken into account from early in
its design phase. Innovative and simplified, the
also demonstrated the efficiency of the automatic flight control H160M’s support is based on the exploitation
system during the take-off and landing operations with limited vis- of data through analytics. Airbus Helicopters
ibility due to sand clouds. The military version of the H160 will also will guarantee a high level of availability through
be substantially quieter than previous helicopters with a reduced an innovative maintenance contract. It will offer
acoustic signature made possible by its Blue Edge rotor blades. an innovative management of maintenance and
aircraft availability, building on a programme
The H160’s stability and manoeuvrability will be key assets for the first introduced in 2020 as part of a global
military version and optional equipment will also include a hoist and support contract for the French Cougar and
a fast roping arm. Amongst the missions planned for the H160M are; Caracal fleet, which led to a significant increase
army – armed reconnaissance, fire support, infiltration of Special in aircraft availability.
Forces and Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC); navy - anti-ship, naval
protection and maritime Search and Rescue (SAR); air force -
airspace protection, Search and Rescue (SAR), deep action or The H160M will replace the diverse fleets
intelligence missions. The H160 is being designed keeping a mod- of helicopters currently operational with the
ular concept in mind, which will enable it to perform a range of French military, some of which are of seventies
missions to meet the needs of the army, the navy and the air force. vintage. The French Army currently operates
It can also be quickly be reconfigured with up to two stretchers the Gazelle, while the Alouette III, Dolphin and
for SAR operations and with its fast rope system, cargo hook and Panther are operated by the Navy, and the
hoist it can equally be used for parapublic missions during disaster Fennec with the Air Force. These helicopters
relief and evacuation. will be replaced by the H160M and their early
retirement is expected to generate savings
New Generation Features of approximately Euro100 million in terms of
The H160M Guépard will be equipped with the Safran Euroflir Operational Readiness.

26 | January/February 2022 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ ADT