The two European manufactuers are fiercing competing in all market segments: the H160, the AW139 'killer' was presented in march. But the market is missing a new son of the 'H Generation': here it is

by Stefano Silvestre

When Mr Guillaume Faury speaks, every single word has a specific weight. It could not be otherwise. Those words are the result of a careful analytic process by the communications team of Airbus, a masterpiece that the world finally saw at Orlando, when the new Airbus Helicopters H160 was unveiled.

In this case, the words of the Airbus Helicopters' CEO have instilled a doubt. And we used it in order to build a hypothesis, test it, and show it here on Helipress. The doubt, the assumption is that the words of Mr Faury hinted the arrival of a new helicopter, a new member of the "H Generation": the Airbus Helicopters H150.

We'll try to make it clearer: at HAI Heli Expo 2015, Mr Guillaume Faury launched a challenge to a sacred cow of the rotorcraft marke, the Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland AW139. Now we need to quote our respected colleagues of the foreign press, that reported Mr Faury's thought without contradiction: “The H160 is the AW139 killer”.

Let's take a look at the current twin-engine helicopter market. From this list is obviously not included the EC155 (AKA H155), already set up to say goodbye to the market after the H160 introduction. And here we start from a first consideration: Airbus Helicopters and AgustaWestland are dancing against each other in a fierce Dating Game, both commercial and industrial.

The H160 dances against the AW139, among the heavyweights the AW189 meets the H175 and the H145 (and the H135) are fighting back the AW109. But there is a detail that does not come back.

If the average AW139 MTOW is set at 6.5 tons, and if the H160 is going to be the AW139 killer, the direct consequence is that the H160 would not simply weigh "between 5 and 6 tons”, as Airbus Helicopters said. To use a mild metaphor, the couples work if they weigh the same, otherwise they look ludicrous.

And so we think that the H160 will weigh more than 6 tons, something more, like 6.5 tons.

But we try to line up then all the couples.

We start from the flyweights: H145 and AW109 rival in the 3 and 4 tons class. Then there are the medium weights: the new H160 and the AW139 fights the 6 and a 6 and half tons. Finally the heavyweights (or supermediums): the H175 is the AW189 opponent.

H150: THE HELICOPTER THAT WASN'T THERE

The market lacks today a couple in a given segment. Thus lack a helicopter and his rival, both for the commercial and industrial aspect.

In short, who is going tol challenge the new AW169 (MTOW: 5 ton)?

Here is the hypothesis that we went checking on. If the H160 plays against the AW139, this means that there is a new “H Generation” helicopter that will play against the AW169. And our audit has given the results we expected.

We acknowledged that Airbus Helicopters would present soon a new helicopter, the H150.

And this new helicopter would be competing against the AW169 in the 5 tons class. The H150 is going to be the real new member of the Dauphin family.

The H150, we can tell you a little more, is already in an advanced stage of development, and there even is a interior mockup already designed and detailed.

The H150 would arrive a few years later on the main rival (probably in 2022), but will compete in a series of crucial segments for the industry, including the evergreen HEMS and Oil & Gas, the latter set up for a change (codename: economic sustainability) in the next years.

The AW169 is going to debut in the first half of 2015, then in the best case scenario Airbus would then be destined to get seven years later with a new model, certainly more updated.