H160 Dynamics Development: Setting New Standards

In May 2015, Airbus Helicopters performed the first flight of H160 introducing its next generation of 6 ton helicopters. The dynamic behavior of the aircraft was set at a high priority from the beginning of this program. Comfort - including noise and vibrations- is for modern aircrafts not just a specification to which one seeks to comply with at the end of the development but a key driver of the design. The H160 development has been conducted in this manner and with the simple but challenging "guideline": setting new standards for vibrations at a minimum design cost. This paper reviews the challenges of this brand new helicopter development from the early design stage to the final in-flight assessment. With the successful flight testing of the pre-serial aircraft, the confirmed very low vibratory levels of H160 could be called to be as distinctive as its emblematic double swept Blue EdgeTM blade.