Airbus Helicopters chief executive Bruno Even has played down fears over the sales performance of its H160, following a year in which the airframer booked just four orders for the new medium-twin.
In fact, last year the H160 fell far short of its 2023 and 2022 sales totals – when 26 and 12 orders were recorded, respectively – and was outshone by every other model in the manufacturer’s range.
But Even insists he sees “good momentum for the H160”, pointing to a backlog of over 100 aircraft that encompasses all the key market segments, including those for the military.
“I am not at all disappointed by the performance of the H160 in 2024,” he said during a 27 January media briefing.
Sales of the H160 have also started strongly this year: by mid-January the company had “already secured the same level of bookings as in 2024”.
He anticipates additional sales momentum will come from Chinese certification of the H160 – a milestone expected “in the coming weeks” – and by performance upgrades such as the increases to range and useful load announced last year.
But with a triple-digit backlog – including 30 for the French armed forces – “the main challenge for the programme is really to ramp up”, Even says.
Airbus Helicopters has not disclosed how many H160s it delivered in 2024, but it shipped 20 units the previous year and is increasing production towards a 40-per-year target in 2026. “Our ability to deliver was confirmed in 2024,” notes Even. In total, the manufacturer delivered 361 helicopters last year, against 346 in 2023.
In addition, he highlights the “really positive feedback” from operators as a cause for further optimism: “I am confident about the success of this helicopter.”
Last year’s stand-out performer for the airframer though was the H225 heavy-twin, for which Airbus Helicopters booked 58 orders – 38 for the German federal police alone – a remarkable turnaround from 2023 when no commitments were taken.
That success has continued into 2025, with the entry into force of a contract from Iraq for 12 military H225Ms. Reports from French outlet Challenges also suggest that Greece too has ordered eight H215s – a sister type in the Super Puma family – for firefighting missions.
Even declines to comment on the status of the Greek deal but describes it as a “good opportunity”.
He sees the H225’s “good momentum” continuing in 2025, for both the civil and military variants, noting that it is the “only heavy helicopter in production that is civil certified” – a thinly veiled side-swipe at the Sikorsky S-92, which remains popular with operators but whose production status is in limbo.
Across the full range Airbus Helicopters recorded a gross order total of 455 units, up on 2023’s figure of 410 aircraft.
Bookings for the single-engined H125 stood at 155, a significant rebound on the 108 recorded in 2023, while the H130 light-single also saw orders increase to 47, from 39 a year earlier.
While total orders for the H145 light-twin were down year on year – falling to 114 from 186 – 2023’s figure included bumper deals from the governments of Germany (62) and France (42); deliveries from those orders began in 2024, Even notes.
The H175 super-medium-twin also showed renewed sales momentum last year, largely driven by a rebounding offshore energy segment: 18 orders were booked, against 14 in 2023 and eight in 2022.
Orders were also up for the H135 light-twin – rising to 59 from 29 a year earlier. And further sales success for the platform is conceivable in 2025 if an updated variant is launched.
Last year, images emerged of an H135 (D-HEEY) in base primer sporting a five-bladed main rotor, a T-tail and what appeared to be a larger diameter Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, alongside other enhancements, performing ground testing at the airframer’s Donauworth production site.
In recent weeks, that same airframe, now sporting a black and white corporate paint scheme, has been pictured in flight testing.
Even declines to be drawn on the development – dubbed the H135 T4 in some quarters – pointing to the company’s recent history of testing new technologies on a variety of demonstrators.
“It doesn’t mean we are at the stage where we will launch a new programme,” he says. “When you want to mature techno-bricks you have to fly them on a helicopter.”
