France tests first Airbus H160 to train pilots for arrival of new Guépard military helicopter
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
On July 14, 2025, during the French National Day, the Armament Directorate General’s Flight Test center (DGA EV) presented its new H160 helicopter to the public for the first time in Paris, in front of the Invalides. The helicopter, marked with orange elements characteristic of flight test aircraft, to be delivered in October 2025, will play a key role in the training of future test pilots from the School for Test and Acceptance Flight Personnel (EPNER), and in preparing for the arrival of the H160M Guépard, the future joint light helicopter of the French armed forces.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
By integrating the H160 and EC225LP into its test fleet, the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ central aeronautical test center expands its ability to conduct testing, certification, and training in support of current and future French helicopters. (Picture source: DGA)
Equipped with test and measurement instruments, the H160 includes two workstations in the cabin for flight test crew members, with a control console and two screens to monitor flight parameters and conduct tests. A test bay in the cargo compartment concentrates, records, and transmits measured data. The aircraft also features a system to modify flight control laws, facilitating the learning of in-flight test techniques. This new helicopter joins the DGA EV’s expanding test fleet, which also includes a newly delivered Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma II+ configured as a next-generation testbed helicopter, known as HBE-NG. This helicopter is the first of three ordered for test missions related to armament integration, optronics evaluation, and connectivity systems testing. It will also be used to train test crews on heavy rotary-wing aircraft at EPNER. The delivery took place at DGA EV’s Istres site, one of two primary airfields used by the organisation, the other being Cazaux. These aircraft acquisitions are part of a wider effort to modernise the DGA EV fleet under the “Impulsion” program, aligned with the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law, which also promotes the use of greener aviation systems and support for future operational requirements.
The Armament Directorate General’s Flight Test center (DGA Centre d’Essais en vol, abbreviated as DGA EV) is responsible for the testing and qualification of all French military aircraft and airborne systems. It operates under the DGA’s Technical Directorate and carries out instrumented flight tests to assess aircraft performance, handling, safety, and system integration. It also provides flight certification and formal acceptance for all new or refurbished aircraft entering service with the French armed forces or other state operators. DGA EV oversees a network of seven regional Test and Reception Air Circulation (Circulation Essais Réception, CER) control centers managing airspace dedicated to flight test and reception flights. In 2022 alone, the center conducted over 4,000 instrumented sorties. It is involved in both national and cooperative European programs and has participated in trials related to the Rafale F4.1 standard, the upgraded ASMPA air-launched nuclear cruise missile, the AASM-Hammer guided bomb, and the Mirage 2000D RMV upgrade package. It also plays a role in supporting civil aviation certification with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and contributes technical expertise to accident investigations conducted by the BEA-État.
With prices estimated to start around US$14 million, the H160 is a medium twin-engine utility helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters and intended to replace the Dauphin and EC155. Its development began under the designation X4, with the first prototype flying in June 2015. The aircraft was certified by EASA in July 2020, with initial deliveries beginning in December 2021. It is powered by two Safran Arrano 1A turboshaft engines rated at 1,280 shp each, allowing a maximum take-off weight of 6,050 kg, a cruise speed of 255 km/h, a maximum range of 880 km, and an endurance of 4 hours and 30 minutes. The airframe is fully composite, and the rotor system includes five Blue Edge blades designed to reduce blade-vortex interaction noise and increase payload capacity. The tail rotor is a canted fenestron configuration, improving lift and low-speed stability. Other features include electric landing gear and braking systems and the Helionix avionics suite, featuring four multifunction displays and integrated automation developed with Esterline CMC. Variants are offered for offshore, medical, public service, and private transport. Orders have been placed by Japan, France, Spain, the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia.
The H160M Guépard is the military variant selected by France under the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger, HIL) program to replace five aging helicopter fleets: Alouette III, SA365 Dauphin, AS565 Panther, SA341/342 Gazelle, and AS555 Fennec. First announced in 2017, the H160M was officially named Guépard in 2019, and the development and production contract was signed between Airbus Helicopters and the DGA in December 2021. The contract includes an initial batch of 30 helicopters (21 for the Army, 8 for the Navy, 1 for the Air Force) and a long-term plan to procure 169 aircraft in total. An additional 10 H160s were ordered by the Gendarmerie, and one unit is reserved for DGA EV as a dedicated testbed. The aircraft’s main components are built in Donauwörth (fuselage), Paris–Le Bourget (rotor blades), Albacete (tail boom), and Marignane (final assembly). The first prototype flight is planned for 2025. The Guépard will be armed with machine guns and guided missiles, including the Sea Venom anti-ship missile. It will be compatible with air refueling from KC-130J aircraft and will support missions including reconnaissance, combat support, search and rescue, surveillance, and maritime operations.
System development is supported by a dedicated H160M integration test bench, connecting the actual flight systems to a simulated cockpit. Already integrated systems include the Thales FlytX avionics suite, the TopOwl helmet-mounted display, the Euroflir 410 electro-optical system by Safran, navigation and communication equipment, and mission-specific configurations. Mockups of antennas, landing gear, and electronic warfare systems have been mounted on a standard H160 for in-flight aerodynamic evaluation. These flight tests, which cannot be replicated digitally, are used to determine the aerodynamic effects of system installations and verify the proper placement of components. In June 2024, the French Navy confirmed the establishment of a joint in-flight test team composed of Airbus Helicopters and military personnel. This team is preparing for the next stages of the H160M development campaign and has already tested autopilot modes on a pre-serial H160 airframe.
The School for Test and Acceptance Flight Personnel (École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception, EPNER) is the French national test pilot and engineer school located at Istres Air Base and operated by DGA EV. Established in 1946, it is one of only five major test pilot schools worldwide and the first in Europe certified by EASA as an Approved Training Organisation. EPNER provides full-spectrum training for test pilots, engineers, flight mechanics, and test controllers. Its curriculum includes fixed- and rotary-wing tracks and covers both military and civil aircraft. Students fly a range of platforms including Mirage 2000, Alpha Jet, Falcon 20, PC-7, TBM 940, Puma, Dauphin, and H160.
All aircraft are equipped with onboard sensors and data recording systems essential for flight analysis. The ground infrastructure includes telemetry rooms, trajectory measurement systems, radar and infrared signature measurement equipment, piloted simulators, and system benches. EPNER collaborates with other international test pilot schools, including the UK’s Empire Test Pilots’ School and U.S. Air Force and Navy equivalents. Graduates occupy positions across the French aerospace industry at Airbus, Dassault, and Safran, contributing to the dissemination of test practices and safety standards. The school is directly involved in operational test and evaluation of new systems and ensures continuity in test capability development for the French military.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
On July 14, 2025, during the French National Day, the Armament Directorate General’s Flight Test center (DGA EV) presented its new H160 helicopter to the public for the first time in Paris, in front of the Invalides. The helicopter, marked with orange elements characteristic of flight test aircraft, to be delivered in October 2025, will play a key role in the training of future test pilots from the School for Test and Acceptance Flight Personnel (EPNER), and in preparing for the arrival of the H160M Guépard, the future joint light helicopter of the French armed forces.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
By integrating the H160 and EC225LP into its test fleet, the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ central aeronautical test center expands its ability to conduct testing, certification, and training in support of current and future French helicopters. (Picture source: DGA)
Equipped with test and measurement instruments, the H160 includes two workstations in the cabin for flight test crew members, with a control console and two screens to monitor flight parameters and conduct tests. A test bay in the cargo compartment concentrates, records, and transmits measured data. The aircraft also features a system to modify flight control laws, facilitating the learning of in-flight test techniques. This new helicopter joins the DGA EV’s expanding test fleet, which also includes a newly delivered Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma II+ configured as a next-generation testbed helicopter, known as HBE-NG. This helicopter is the first of three ordered for test missions related to armament integration, optronics evaluation, and connectivity systems testing. It will also be used to train test crews on heavy rotary-wing aircraft at EPNER. The delivery took place at DGA EV’s Istres site, one of two primary airfields used by the organisation, the other being Cazaux. These aircraft acquisitions are part of a wider effort to modernise the DGA EV fleet under the “Impulsion” program, aligned with the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law, which also promotes the use of greener aviation systems and support for future operational requirements.
The Armament Directorate General’s Flight Test center (DGA Centre d’Essais en vol, abbreviated as DGA EV) is responsible for the testing and qualification of all French military aircraft and airborne systems. It operates under the DGA’s Technical Directorate and carries out instrumented flight tests to assess aircraft performance, handling, safety, and system integration. It also provides flight certification and formal acceptance for all new or refurbished aircraft entering service with the French armed forces or other state operators. DGA EV oversees a network of seven regional Test and Reception Air Circulation (Circulation Essais Réception, CER) control centers managing airspace dedicated to flight test and reception flights. In 2022 alone, the center conducted over 4,000 instrumented sorties. It is involved in both national and cooperative European programs and has participated in trials related to the Rafale F4.1 standard, the upgraded ASMPA air-launched nuclear cruise missile, the AASM-Hammer guided bomb, and the Mirage 2000D RMV upgrade package. It also plays a role in supporting civil aviation certification with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and contributes technical expertise to accident investigations conducted by the BEA-État.
With prices estimated to start around US$14 million, the H160 is a medium twin-engine utility helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters and intended to replace the Dauphin and EC155. Its development began under the designation X4, with the first prototype flying in June 2015. The aircraft was certified by EASA in July 2020, with initial deliveries beginning in December 2021. It is powered by two Safran Arrano 1A turboshaft engines rated at 1,280 shp each, allowing a maximum take-off weight of 6,050 kg, a cruise speed of 255 km/h, a maximum range of 880 km, and an endurance of 4 hours and 30 minutes. The airframe is fully composite, and the rotor system includes five Blue Edge blades designed to reduce blade-vortex interaction noise and increase payload capacity. The tail rotor is a canted fenestron configuration, improving lift and low-speed stability. Other features include electric landing gear and braking systems and the Helionix avionics suite, featuring four multifunction displays and integrated automation developed with Esterline CMC. Variants are offered for offshore, medical, public service, and private transport. Orders have been placed by Japan, France, Spain, the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia.
The H160M Guépard is the military variant selected by France under the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger, HIL) program to replace five aging helicopter fleets: Alouette III, SA365 Dauphin, AS565 Panther, SA341/342 Gazelle, and AS555 Fennec. First announced in 2017, the H160M was officially named Guépard in 2019, and the development and production contract was signed between Airbus Helicopters and the DGA in December 2021. The contract includes an initial batch of 30 helicopters (21 for the Army, 8 for the Navy, 1 for the Air Force) and a long-term plan to procure 169 aircraft in total. An additional 10 H160s were ordered by the Gendarmerie, and one unit is reserved for DGA EV as a dedicated testbed. The aircraft’s main components are built in Donauwörth (fuselage), Paris–Le Bourget (rotor blades), Albacete (tail boom), and Marignane (final assembly). The first prototype flight is planned for 2025. The Guépard will be armed with machine guns and guided missiles, including the Sea Venom anti-ship missile. It will be compatible with air refueling from KC-130J aircraft and will support missions including reconnaissance, combat support, search and rescue, surveillance, and maritime operations.
System development is supported by a dedicated H160M integration test bench, connecting the actual flight systems to a simulated cockpit. Already integrated systems include the Thales FlytX avionics suite, the TopOwl helmet-mounted display, the Euroflir 410 electro-optical system by Safran, navigation and communication equipment, and mission-specific configurations. Mockups of antennas, landing gear, and electronic warfare systems have been mounted on a standard H160 for in-flight aerodynamic evaluation. These flight tests, which cannot be replicated digitally, are used to determine the aerodynamic effects of system installations and verify the proper placement of components. In June 2024, the French Navy confirmed the establishment of a joint in-flight test team composed of Airbus Helicopters and military personnel. This team is preparing for the next stages of the H160M development campaign and has already tested autopilot modes on a pre-serial H160 airframe.
The School for Test and Acceptance Flight Personnel (École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception, EPNER) is the French national test pilot and engineer school located at Istres Air Base and operated by DGA EV. Established in 1946, it is one of only five major test pilot schools worldwide and the first in Europe certified by EASA as an Approved Training Organisation. EPNER provides full-spectrum training for test pilots, engineers, flight mechanics, and test controllers. Its curriculum includes fixed- and rotary-wing tracks and covers both military and civil aircraft. Students fly a range of platforms including Mirage 2000, Alpha Jet, Falcon 20, PC-7, TBM 940, Puma, Dauphin, and H160.
All aircraft are equipped with onboard sensors and data recording systems essential for flight analysis. The ground infrastructure includes telemetry rooms, trajectory measurement systems, radar and infrared signature measurement equipment, piloted simulators, and system benches. EPNER collaborates with other international test pilot schools, including the UK’s Empire Test Pilots’ School and U.S. Air Force and Navy equivalents. Graduates occupy positions across the French aerospace industry at Airbus, Dassault, and Safran, contributing to the dissemination of test practices and safety standards. The school is directly involved in operational test and evaluation of new systems and ensures continuity in test capability development for the French military.
