Airbus Helicopters Launches X6 Concept Phase For Heavy-Lift Rotor craft

Airbus Helicopters announced today at the Paris Air Show, the launch of X6 concept phase, setting the standard for the next-generation heavy-lift rotorcraft that will be tailored for the civil market.

X6 will initially target oil and gas missions and will also be suited for Search and Rescue, VIP and other applications. Moreover, it is the newest arrival in Airbus Helicopters’ H generation, continuing on from the success of the recently unveiled H160.\

Guillaume Faury, the President & CEO of Airbus Helicopters said,“X6 will be for the heavy segment in the next decade what the H160 is today for the mediums. It will set new standards in the industry not only for design, but for its production strategy as well, as we will rely on the industrial capacities of our core countries, including the upcoming pillar in Poland,”.

One of the major innovations to be integrated on X6 is the Fly-by-Wire flight control system. Once adequate program maturity has been achieved in the concept phase, a subsequent development phase will follow, leading to an X6 entry into service anticipated in the 2020s.