Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first of 10 H160 medium-twins for operation by France’s Gendarmerie Nationale (GN).
Handed over to the French DGA defence procurement agency on 16 December, the H160 will undergo a progressive service-introduction process that will last until 2027.
This will also include the training and qualification of the crews and technical personnel, as well as the implementation of the helicopter’s operating procedures.
Part of a wider fleet-renewal process that also includes a batch of six H145 light-twins, deliveries of which began in November, an order for the H160s was placed in December 2021 by the DGA on behalf of the French interior ministry.
The H160 is the largest rotorcraft ever operated by the GN, providing the force with additional mission capabilities.
Airbus Helicopters chief executive Bruno Even highlights the synergies between the helicopters for the GN and the H160M Guepard it is developing for the French armed forces.
The links between the programmes, he says, will ensure “an unprecedented level of performance and interoperability for critical civil and military missions.”
