LAS VEGAS—Airbus Corporate Helicopters conducted multiple daily customer demonstration flights of its ACH160 twin-engine intermediate rotorcraft at NBAA-BACE as production increases to support a doubling of the in-service North American fleet by late 2026.
Two years after making its NBAA-BACE debut, the global fleet of ACH160s—a corporate version of the baseline civil-military H160—has grown to 35 aircraft with a further 18 in the current backlog says Frederic Lemos, head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters. “We continue to book new orders at a good rate, and have about 50% of the market,” he adds.
Lemos believes prospects for increasing this share are positive. “We see the 160 gaining momentum. Customers in that space have been looking for alternative products and overall we’ve seen a good response to the ACH160. The aircraft is still pretty new, and we will be there when they are looking for renewals.”
Featuring a large, canted Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, a biplane stabilizer and Blue Edge main rotor blades that increase payload while, at the same time, reducing external noise levels, the H160 is billed by Airbus as the first fully composite civil helicopter. The extensive use of composites throughout the structure has decreased weight and maintenance requirements, while also making it resistant to corrosion and fatigue.
Six ACH160s are in corporate use in North America with seven in the current backlog. “We continue to take bookings and in a short period of time will have doubled the fleet,” Lemos says. The expansion comes as Airbus Helicopters plans to ramp up production of the H160 family to up to 60 aircraft a year, reflecting growing demand for the aircraft from both the commercial and military markets.
