France brings launch of HIL programme forward
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has elected to bring the launch of the French armed forces’ Joint Light Helicopter (HIL) programme forward to 2021, Airbus Helicopters announced on 27 May.
The HIL programme, for which the Airbus Helicopters’ H160 was selected in 2017, was initially scheduled for launch in 2022. Launching the programme earlier will enable delivery of the first H160Ms to the French armed forces to be advanced to 2026.
The H160M is the militarised version of the H160. It will be capable of performing missions ranging from commando infiltration to air intercept, fire support, and anti-ship warfare.
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