France has received a new Airbus H160 helicopter and added it to the training fleet of EPNER, the nation’s military test pilot academy under the defense procurement agency (DGA).
EPNER deputy director Patrice Gaillon confirmed the delivery on LinkedIn, noting that the helicopter “will enrich the fleet” and calling it a “superb aircraft” for modernizing test capabilities.
The H160 will join the H225 “Helicopter Test Bench” already in use by the DGA. Together, the choppers will support the training of test pilots and engineers and the validation of new avionics, sensors, and systems under real flight conditions.
The aircraft replaces the aging Dauphin SA 365 N previously used for flight test training. The H160M will also gradually replace other legacy helicopter types, including the Gazelle, Panther, Alouette III, and Fennec.
H160M In Service
France selected the H160M Guépard, a militarized variant of the H160, in 2021 for its inter-service light helicopter program. The Ministry of Armed Forces plans to acquire 169 H160Ms to serve the Army, Navy, and Air and Space Force.
The first flight of the H160M occurred in July 2025 at Airbus’ Marignane facility. Further deliveries of the H160 helicopter are expected to begin in late 2028.
Airbus, meanwhile, has built a test bench replicating the cockpit and mission systems for early integration work. Sensors such as Safran’s Euroflir 410 and avionics from Thales are already being tested in-flight on modified H160 demonstrators.
France expects this approach will give test crews early exposure to the platform’s flight behavior and systems, ahead of the full military version’s rollout.
