Airbus H140 unveiled at Verticon
The HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) role is obviously the primary driver behind the development of the new H140. Airbus themselves say that the H140 “complements Airbus Helicopters’ current light twin offering for the emergency medical services, passenger transport, and private and business aviation markets” – in that order! The company says that the helicopter is planned to enter service in 2028, for the emergency medical services segment.
A leak by a French news site associated with the Les Echos newspaper meant that the aircraft’s designation was already known, while video uploaded to YouTube ensured that many of the aircraft’s features were also familiar.
Reuters reported that the launch of the H140 follows the conclusion of the internal X8 study which looked at the viability of producing an eventual H135 successor. Another internal study, known as X9, aimed to develop a technology demonstrator looking at technologies that would underpin a successor to the larger H145. This resulted in the H145 PioneerLab aircraft.
The aircraft seen in the YouTube video (D-HEEY), being flight tested at the company’s site in Donauwörth, is the first of four dedicated prototypes. The company may have originally intended to use the H135 T4 designation.
The newly unveiled H140 bears a close similarity to the H135, but features a T-tail atop a more highly swept ‘fin’, and introduces a five blade main rotor, revised jet pipes, revised rear clamshell doors and a more ‘bluff’ nose profile.
The H140 will feature Airbus Helicopters’ Helionix avionics system that also equips the H135, H145, H160 and H175, with a four-axis autopilot, and an innovative cockpit layout designed to enhance situational awareness, reduce pilot workload and increase safety.
The T-tail has downturned tips and gives a pleasantly ‘old school’ appearance, particularly compared to the box-like ‘biplane’ stabilisor of the H160. It allows the tailplane/horizontal stabilisor to be carried further aft than would be possible if it was mounted on the tailboom, forward of the fenestron. Interestingly, many helicopters with a Fenestron have used T-tails, including the Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66, and the Kamov Ka-60 and Ka-62.
The fenestron itself is claimed by Airbus to be ‘optimised’ further reducing sound levels.
The configuration is far less radical than the new compound and tail rotor-free configurations shown in patent applications uncovered by FlightGlobal’s rotary wing sleuth, Dominic Perry.
The new five-bladed bearingless main rotor bears a passing resemblance to that fitted to the H145 D-3 and UH-72, and Airbus Helicopters have confirmed that the H140 “features the same five-bladed rotor system that was introduced on the H145 in 2019.” The company says that the bearingless main rotor design simplifies maintenance, improves serviceability and reliability, and provides the highest level of passenger and crew comfort. Interestingly the H145’s five blade main rotor was derived from the original main rotor system of the H135, scaled up, with an additional blade.
A five-blade main rotor potentially offers a number of advantages, primarily offering significantly reduced vibration due to a more even distribution of lift. This is likely to give improved performance and a smoother ride. The use of an ‘odd number’ of blades my confer additional advantages. Multi bladed rotors certainly give a lower blade loading, with each additional blade reducing the load on the other. This can be used to give increased payload, performance or manoeuvrability, and a smaller rotor diameter. A five-blade rotor will tend to be quieter, and potentially gives better fuel efficiency compared to a rotor with a smaller number of blades.
Airbus says that the H140 features a larger cabin space, large windows and an optimised cabin layout that can accommodate up to six passengers comfortably, though it does not look markedly longer, wider or taller than that of the H135.
The large rear clamshell doors do look slightly different, and may further enhance accessibility while the H140’s rear loading capabilities allow the use of different types of stretcher systems – including intensive care litters and transport incubators. The absence of tailplanes on the boom may also improve rear loading accessibility.
The H140 is powered by a pair of 700 shp Safran Arrius 2E turboshaft engines, and, Airbus say, offers the best payload/range in its class. The engines are managed via a dual-channel full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) system, guaranteeing unprecedented levels of performance in all engines operative (AEO) operations and considerable power reserves in one engine inoperative (OEI) scenarios.
H140 operators will benefit from an optimised maintenance plan that harmonises airframe and engine maintenance schedules and allows longer intervals between inspections, further reducing the helicopter’s operating and maintenance costs.
The use of a new designation is, on the face of it, surprising, for what is recognisably an H135 derivative. The EC145/H145 has retained the same numerical suffix throughout a series of upgrades and modernisations, first a major fuselage redesign (EC145 C2), then the addition of new Arriel 2E turboshaft engines, dual-digital FADEC, a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, and upgraded tail and main rotor gear boxes (EC145 T2/H145 D-2) and finally the addition of a five bladed main rotor (H145 D-3).
The timing of the new helicopter is also surprising, given the plans to develop and test new technologies for light twins using the so-called PioneerLab testbed. These will not be ready in time for the H140.
Airbus Helicopters has enjoyed greater success with some of its smaller aircraft, with the H125 clocking up 155 orders in 2024, and the H130 47. Of the company’s twin engine types, the H145 accounted for 114, and the H135 59. The larger H160 scored just four orders, and the H175 18. Many expected some upgrades to the H135, in order to better meet market requirements, especially in the HEMS role.
Airbus says that the multi-mission H140 helicopter raises the bar in the category, for performance, cost-effectiveness, and passenger and crew comfort.
Bruno Even, the CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said that: “Introducing a new helicopter to the light twin engine segment is a testimony to our commitment to meeting our customers’ evolving mission requirements, leveraging our R&T programmes such as Bluecopter. We worked hand in hand with our H135 customers to bring their additional requirements together in the H140’s efficient design. It enables customers to benefit from a bigger mission-enhancing cabin space that was sized to an optimised engine performance for the best-in-class payload and range. We are proud to be able to offer our customers the most competitive choices.”
