Rotorcraft · ICAO H160

Airbus Helicopters H-160

The Airbus H160 is a modern medium helicopter known for its distinctive 'Blue Edge' main rotor blades, which curve backward at the tip specifically to reduce the characteristic slapping noise helicopters make in certain flight conditions. It also uses an unusual biplane-style stabiliser at the tail, rather than a single horizontal fin, to improve stability and further cut noise. Those design choices make it noticeably quieter than many earlier helicopters of similar size, an important factor for operations near populated areas. It's used for offshore transport, emergency medical services, and VIP transport.

Airbus Helicopters H-160, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The H160's backward-curving 'Blue Edge' rotor blades and biplane-style tail stabiliser were designed specifically to cut the characteristic slapping noise helicopters make.

Specifications

Length14.7 m (48 ft)
Height4 m (13 ft)
Rotor diameter12 m (39 ft)
Maximum passengers12
Maximum take-off weight6 t
Range475 NM (880 km)
Maximum speed175 kt (324 km/h)
Service ceiling20,000 ft (6,096 m)
Optimum ceiling9,500 ft (2,896 m)
Rate of climb1,750 ft/min (8.9 m/s)
Fuel capacity1,120 l
Engines2x Safran Arrano

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Airbus Helicopters H-160 starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Airbus Helicopters, the H-160 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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