First H160M Guepard flight is key step for French Armed Forces

Airbus carried out the maiden test flight using a dedicated crew and began preparations for weapon and environmental trials.

Airbus Helicopters has begun flight-testing the H160M Guépard as part of France’s Joint Light Helicopter programme. The H160M, a military development of the civil H160, will replace five types of legacy helicopters across France’s Army, Navy and Air and Space Force. A total of 169 units are expected to be delivered from 2028.

The first prototype’s test flight was carried out by pilot Samuel Chartier along with flight test engineers Nicolas Certain, Laurent Maruejols and Alban Corpron. The aircraft will be used to validate flight performance and for firing campaigns in 2026. A second prototype is in final assembly and will handle environmental testing.

The H160M builds on the civil H160, which has been in service for more than three years. It uses Safran Arrano engines and integrates 68 patented technologies to improve performance, sustainability and costs. Features include Thales' FlytX avionics, Airbus’ mission system, and integration for drone cooperation.

“The start of the flight test campaign is a major milestone for the H160M programme,” says Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “The H160M is an aircraft tailored for tomorrow's military operations: reliable, agile, highly connected and equipped with the latest generation of sensors and weaponry. Most importantly, it is highly scalable and can adapt to changing operational contexts.”

Deliveries will begin in late 2028, with Airbus to support the fleet for an initial ten years.