France has taken delivery of a new Airbus H160 helicopter, adding it to the training fleet of EPNER, the nation’s military test pilot academy operated under the defense procurement agency (DGA). The addition aims to enhance the country’s test pilot and engineer training capabilities.
The newly acquired H160 will operate alongside the H225 “Helicopter Test Bench,” already in service with the DGA. Together, these aircraft will play a key role in testing and validating avionics, sensors, and onboard systems in real-world flight conditions. The H160 replaces the aging Dauphin SA 365 N, which has long served as the primary aircraft for flight test training.
In the coming years, the H160M Guépard — a militarized variant of the H160 — will progressively replace older helicopter types such as the Gazelle, Panther, Alouette III, and Fennec across France’s armed services. Selected in 2021 under the country’s Light Joint Helicopter Program, the Ministry of Armed Forces plans to procure 169 H160Ms to serve the Army, Navy, and Air and Space Force.
The first flight of the H160M took place in July 2025 at Airbus’ Marignane facility. Airbus has also developed a test bench replicating the aircraft’s cockpit and mission systems to support early integration work. The system is already testing Safran’s Euroflir 410 sensor suite and Thales’ avionics aboard modified demonstrator aircraft, enabling test crews to familiarize themselves with the helicopter’s systems well before the full military rollout planned for 2028.
