- Yes
- No
Hi all, here is a suggestion for adding a new helicopter to the French tree.
The H160M Guépard is a military helicopter developed by Airbus Helicopters as part of the HIL (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger) program for the French armed forces. Based on the civilian H160, it was designed to replace several models in service, such as the Gazelle, the Dauphin and the Fennec. Ordered in 2021 as part of the Military Programming Law, the H160M offers great versatility for missions ranging from reconnaissance to tactical support. (source 8)
The H160 (civil version) is a helicopter developed by Airbus which entered operational service in 2022. This aircraft is the successor to the Dauphin (SA365) which entered service in 1975.
The first acquisitions by the French army took place between 2022 and 2023 with the receipt of 6 aircraft intended for sea rescue. The rest of the ordered aircraft should arrive in the coming years (the militarized versions having been in the test phase until 2024) for entry into service over the next 5 years. (source 1, 9)
This helicopter aims to fulfill many missions in the French armies, in particular armed reconnaissance/intelligence, fire support for ground troops, infiltration of specialized light teams into enemy territory, support for naval forces (protection, acoustic monitoring, etc.), MASA and IVP missions (Active Air Security Measures and Proximity Visual Interception currently carried out by other aircraft in the French fleet) as well as search and rescue missions . (source 3)
The Guépard is characterized by its great modularity which allows it to accomplish all its missions, in fact the aircraft can mount on board a radar for anti-aircraft or anti-naval missions and also has an IFF interogator allowing the identification of allied targets (source 7) . Finally this helicopter is announced as compatible with the HForce® weapon system of Airbus, which therefore gives it a good capacity to carry weapons and sensors (source 4, page 9).
Visually the aircraft is very similar to the same manufacturer’s Dauphin and Panther series of helicopters, with a sleek canopy for aerodynamics and an internal tail rotor. However the Guepard features a thinner nose than its predecessor, improving pilot visibility and also features an all-new dual horizontal stabilizer.
Other innovations are also present, the fenestron is slightly inclined, which allows the Guépard to remain flat during stationary phases and during approach phases. The propeller is also new with a shape allowing better sound comfort. (source 12)
DETAILS : (source 4, page 12, source 5, page 4 and source 6)
DIMENSIONS
- 15.67 m in length
- 13.4 m in width
MAX WEIGHT
- 6,050 kg - 13,338 lb
- 6,250 kg - 13,778 lb With alternate Gross Weight
CAPACITY
- 1 or 2 pilots + up to 12 PAX
- VFR / IFR Single / Dual Pilot
ENGINE
- Arrano Safran Helicopter Engines
new generation turboshaft
FAST CRUISE SPEED
- 263 km/h - 142 kts
MAXIMUM RANGE (at 5,000 ft)
- 765 km - 413 NM
- 3h18 of maximum endurance
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE
- 6096 m - 20 000 ft
It is worth noting that the aircraft has landing gear that can retract into the fuselage, which allows it greater speed and agility in flight.
EQUIPMENT :
There is little information today regarding the equipment found on board the aircraft, however we can find that the aircraft is supplied with :
- An electro-optical system (Eroflir 410 NG), this FLIR developed by Safran is installed under the nose of the aircraft, allows observation of targets with a TV or IR view and offers a significant zoom level, it is the same system present on the latest generation of Tiger helicopters… (source 1, 7, 8, 12, 13)
- A tactical radar (AirMaster C), that this radar is used for maritime surveillance/combat missions as well as for aerial surveillance/combat missions. (source 7, 13, 14) (More information at the end of the post)
- An IFF interrogator, the aircraft has an IFF interrogator in the nose to enable the identification of targets during the various air security missions. (source 7)
- “VFR day and night, IFR, Night Vision Goggles”, the helicopter has the latest technologies available to allow it to fly at all times, the autopilot as well as the flight assistance even allows it to be piloted by a single pilot. (source 4, page 7 and 8)
- A countermeasure deployment system, this system is visible in images and renderings of the helicopter. This device is placed under the tail of the aircraft. (source 2, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13)
- A Top Howl HMD system (present on Tiger helicopters) for both crew members. (source 12)
- Armor is announced on the aircraft to allow better protection of the crew. (source 13)
WEAPONS :
The aircraft’s standard armament, which is currently announced, includes a 12.7mm machine gun pod mountable on each side of the aircraft as well as 7.62mm door machine guns (source 4, 7, 11, 12), however it should be noted that rocket pods are planned to be mounted on the aircraft to increase its firepower (source 3, 4 and 12). The rockets carried are announced as unguided but with the possibility of carrying rockets guided by laser designation presented at EUROSATORIE 2022 (source 12). A single hardpoint is available on each side of the aircraft
Which gives us :
- 2 x 7.62mm machine gun
- 2 x 12.7mm machine gun pod (FN HMP400)
- 2 x unguided rockets pod
- 2 x guided rockets pod
The helicopter is also capable of firing the SeaVenom air-sea missile for the defense of French Navy vessels (ANL missile in French).
Hforce
The Hforce system is a flexible weapons system that can be installed on different aircraft (H125M, H145M, H225M) (source 15), but according to the Airbus website, the H160M would be able to be equipped with it, which would considerably improve its weapons. (source 4, page 3 and 9)
The installation of this system would therefore allow the installation of new weapons on the attachment points already present on the aircraft :
- 2 x 20mm gun pod NEXTER NC621 (source 15 and 16)
- 8 x Air-to-ground missile (source 15 and 16)
The addition of air-to-ground missiles has already been seen on the H145M of the German military forces via the Hforce system, the possible missiles that could be added to the Guépard would therefore be the same and would therefore be Hellfire or EuroSpike missiles.
As for air-to-air missiles, none of the aircraft capable of using the Hforce suite have used them so far. It is therefore difficult to know what type of missile it could be and in what quantity.
RADAR : (source 14)
The radar used on the Guépard is the AirMaster C developed by Thales, it is a small rectangular AESA radar. This radar allows the detection and tracking of air and sea targets with a coverage of 120 °. As presented in the radar presentation video, the Guépard has 3 of these radars distributed inside, which allows it to provide 360 ° coverage of its surroundings.
COCKPIT : (source 12)
The cockpit of the Cheetah differs slightly from that of the civilian H160. The aircraft has 4 large 15-inch touch screens with the aim of grouping and merging all the aircraft data for faster reading/understanding. The aircraft keeps a “standard” crew placement with the pilot on the right and the co-pilot on the left and has excellent visibility.
IN GAME :
In game this helicopter would have a difficult place to define, indeed, even if this device is extremely modern, its armament is limited, so Br would therefore depend on the armament provided to it. In general, the Guépard would remain a very interesting addition to the French tree which does not currently have any real armed transport helicopter.
Thank you for reading my suggestion, please feel free to give your opinion regarding this addition to the game.
Source
[1] La Direction générale de l’armement a livré le 1er hélicoptère H160 de la flotte intérimaire de la Marine nationale | Ministère des Armées
[2] GUEPARD : Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger, HIL | Ministère des Armées
[3] SIAE : Focus sur l’hélicoptère H160M Guépard | Ministère des Armées
[4] pm_38_628_628227-q2i6kgra8y.pdf
[5] pm_38_379_379477-atewgmdurt.pdf
[6] H160M technical information | Airbus
[7] H160M missions | Airbus
[8] H160M | Airbus
[9] H160 Contract - Babcock International Group
[10] 0701-Babcock3246-KeyFactSheet-F6-FicheH160_EN_June2022.pdf
[11] New Airbus H160M - next generation military helicopter
[12] Découverte du H160, le nouvel hélicoptère des armées françaises
[13] #Bourget2023 - JT DGA : spécial Guépard
[14] AirMaster C | Thales Group
[15] HForce | Airbus
[16] pm_38_379_379492-fbmppu9m3g.pdf