Airbus Helicopters targets HEMS with launch of H140 light twin

Airbus Helicopters is launching a new light twin-engine helicopter that it hopes will build on the success of its H135 and H145, and potentially grow the market it has dominated through the two types in recent years.

The aircraft, known as the H140, is being developed from the H135 — but provides significant design enhancements that promise improved performance, a 20 percent larger cabin, and enhanced comfort levels.

“When we speak with our customers of the light twin helicopters, we often get the feedback that they need a helicopter with a large cabin, but which is very economic in operation — and when we speak about the 140, it’s exactly this,” Dirk Petry, head of the H135 and H140 programs at Airbus, told journalists during a pre-Verticon briefing.

The aircraft was unveiled to the helicopter industry at its biggest annual tradeshow, held this year in Dallas, Texas, in the form of a full-scale mockup in an emergency medical services configuration.

Externally, there are several immediately obvious differences in design when compared to the H135. Firstly, the aircraft has the same bearingless five-bladed main rotor system used on the latest version of the H145. The rotor disc is also slightly higher — by about four inches (10 centimeters) — than that of the H135.

This allows the tail boom to be placed higher on the airframe, which in turn provides more space for enlarged clamshell doors at the rear of the cabin — 10 inches (25 centimeters) taller than those in the 135. Both of these elements allow for improved access for loading from the back — an important consideration for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations.

A new Fenestron design and size offers improved yaw performance and reduced sound levels, but perhaps the most striking thing about the tail is the horizontal stabilizer. This has been moved from either side of the tail boom to the top of the Fenestron, forming what Airbus is calling a “T-Tail.”

The T-Tail’s origins can be traced back to Airbus’s Bluecopter demonstrator, which used an early version of the design. According to Petry, the T-Tail increases hover performance “in the range of 80 kilograms [175 pounds]” by moving the horizontal stabilizer out of the main rotor’s downwash.

The perspective from inside the cabin is no less dramatic. The H140 has a cabin volume of 215 cubic feet/6.10 cubic meters (excluding the cockpit area) — not as large as the H145, but a significant upgrade on the 178 cubic feet (5.04 cubic meters) in the H135. This allows it to comfortably seat six passengers — versus those six having to sit in a high-density configuration in the H135.

The cabin floor is entirely flat — from cockpit to clamshell doors — and unobstructed.

The visibility is also improved from the cabin, thanks to larger windows — most obvious in the scaling up of the rear cabin window. That window can now be used as an emergency exit — an important benefit for those who might use the aircraft for offshore operations.

However, Airbus was keen to keep the airframe compact, so despite the scaling up in many areas, the H140 is only one meter longer than the H135 from the tip of its main rotor to the back of its tail.

The aircraft is powered by two 700-shaft horsepower Safran Arrius 2E engines — the next evolution of the Arrius family. The 2E provides more power with the same fuel burn as the Arrius 2B2+ used in the H135.

Thanks to the more powerful engines and the airframe design changes, the H140 has a 7,000-pound (3,175-kilogram) maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) — the maximum allowed for Federal Aviation Regulation part 27 operation. This compares to the H135’s MTOW of 6,570 pounds (2,980 kilograms).

The aircraft’s never exceed speed (Vne) is 155 knots — “a significant step [from] the H135,” said Petry, which has a Vne of 140 knots.

The H140 shares the same Helionix-based cockpit as the H135 and H145, with a four-axis autopilot and dual-channel full-authority digital engine control (FADEC).

Flight Test and Certification

Airbus is aiming for certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and entry into service in 2028. The manufacturer hopes to receive validation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the following year.

Flight testing began in June 2023, and the program team flew about 35 hours before pausing at the end of that year for design adjustments to be made, and the type’s production main gearbox and engine to be installed. This work took most of 2024 to complete, and the team has subsequently flown another 20 hours with the new configuration.

“We are still in the development stage, but for this stage, the aircraft flies beautifully,” said Volker Bau, chief test pilot at Airbus Helicopters Germany. “The harmonization of lateral and cyclic forces, forward and aft and lateral, they are so well harmonized, it’s just beautiful — and we haven’t done very much on the autopilot [to date], so I’m talking about the raw aircraft [control and feedback].”

The H140 has already flown above 145 knots in horizontal flight, he noted, and the reduction in vibration provided by the five-bladed main rotor was noticeable.

There is one prototype H140 currently in operation, with another set to join the flight test campaign later this year, and two more in 2026.

The program team is now turning their attention to tuning the aircraft’s autopilot, and then will fly a hot and high campaign this summer, with a cold weather campaign to follow in the winter.

Room for three light twins?

Petry said the development of the H140 has been encouraged by the return of market demand to pre-2019 levels.

“The market is back, and the demand for our light twin-engine helicopters is rising as well,” he said. “We saw it in strong bookings on the H135 and popular bookings on the H145 as well [in 2024]. There is room for another model in our product range, and this is the H140.”

So, while Airbus claimed a 70 percent market share of global light twin sales in 2024 with the H135 and H145, it will continue to produce these in addition to the H140 when it achieves certification.

“[With] the 140 we extend the capability, we bring value, we keep the cost efficiency, [but] still there will be a premium — and for the customers considering that the 135 is delivering their mission, they will be able to continue to buy [that] helicopter at the [cheaper] price,” said Bruno Even, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

“I’m fine if tomorrow, the 140 is so successful that it takes market share from the competition, of course, but also from some of our products, that’s fine [too] — as long as we are bringing value to the market and to our customers.”

While Airbus says it has designed the H140 to be a “multipurpose machine,” the type is primarily targeted at HEMS operators.

The manufacturer said it consulted closely with some of the leading air medical operators around the world when developing the type, optimizing the design for HEMS missions.

“With the compact size of the aircraft, with the large cabin, it’s the perfect aircraft for EMS,” said Petry. The improved performance over the 135 in hot and high and one engine inoperative conditions are “very relevant for European EMS, but also for high-up mountain rescue,” he added.

Secondary missions could include offshore wind, harbor piloting, and near-shore oil-and-gas transport, as well as law enforcement. Airbus also believes the type will prove popular with corporate customers in the form of the ACH140, which will be introduced “at a later point in time.”

There are, however, no plans for an “M” version for military operation.

An important driver for the H140 program team has been the desire to keep the aircraft’s direct maintenance costs roughly comparable to those of an H135. The improved fuel burn of the Arrius 2E helps contributes towards this, as does the engine’s reduced maintenance burden.

Airbus wouldn’t provide any details on the type’s acquisition cost, however.

The aircraft will be produced alongside the H135 and H145 at Airbus’s facility in Donauworth, using the same workshare as those two types. Components will be assembled at Airbus’s various sites according to their specialization, and sent to the final assembly line (FAL) in Germany.

In terms of sales forecast, all Petry would say is that the production line will be defined “in a way that we can sell a lot per year.”