A year after revealing the H140, Airbus remains confident that the program is on track to meet its projected 2028 entry into service. A fourth aircraft is also on schedule to augment the flight-test fleet later this year. Meanwhile, the company has already amassed firm orders for 61 H140s, propelling the platform to become the best-selling light twin in the EASA CS-27/FAA FAR Part 27 segment over the past year.

“The unveiling of the H140 is underlined by the sales success we had last year,” said Airbus v-p of light twin helicopter programs Dirk Petry. Counting both orders and options, the company has commitments for more than 100 of the as-yet-uncertified helicopters, outperforming the company’s bookings for 45 H135s last year. However, Petry maintains that the H135 will continue to be a valuable asset to “many public services and military training contracts” and the H140 is “not a replacement” for its smaller sibling.

Unveiled last year at Verticon, the R88 is Robinson’s largest helicopter, with a 275-cu-ft cabin that can accommodate eight passengers or 1,800 pounds of payload with full fuel. Certification and entry into service are expected to take place later this decade, and the R88 will sell for about $3.3 million.

A key element of the R88 design is the input drive shaft, which connects the engine to the main transmission. “Input drive shafts are really tricky. That’s one of the hardest challenges on any helicopter, the ability to take relative motion between gear boxes and engines and throughout all sorts of maneuvers and transients,” Robinson Helicopter president and CEO David Smith told AIN.

As the AW609 continues type inspection authorization activities with regulators, Leonardo is targeting entry into service of the civil tiltrotor in 2027. “We will soon start maturity assessment activities to explore the use of the aircraft in operational contexts” such as civilian, public service, and government operations, the Italian OEM said. This includes market promotion and demo flights for potential customers and other users.

Tiltrotors fall under the FAA’s powered-lift category, a regime that aircraft such as the AW609 will have to meet. This represents, Leonardo said, “an all-new regulatory framework also including the stringent requirements typically set in the civil sector. This is unprecedented in the industry and requires time and multiple reviews before each step ahead is taken, [then] moving to the next stage of development, testing, and assessment. It is always worth noting this is not just an industry effort; it’s a shared effort involving other players, especially the FAA.”

Sikorsky Aircraft is preparing to launch series production of the S-92A+, the latest variant of its flagship large-cabin helicopter. The company revealed on Friday that the assembly line for the S-92A+ will be located in Owego, New York, at the Lockheed Martin Systems Integration facility. Sikorsky is a Lockheed subsidiary.

At least five S-92A+ helicopters are expected to roll off the production line this year, but the facility is capable of producing up to 12 aircraft per year, Leon Silva, Sikorsky’s v-p of global commercial and military systems, told reporters during a pre-Verticon briefing. The company anticipates deliveries of the first S-92A+ in 2028.