Airbus Helicopters has presented a new model of civil helicopter at the Dubai Airshow, drawn up in collaboration with Peugeot Design Lab.

Despite the final designs for the new chopper being finalized in-house at Airbus, it was Peugeot Design Lab who got the ball rolling after winning a style competition launched by Airbus, aimed at finding outside influences and creating a new benchmark in helicopter styling.

The H160 is a sleek, dynamic new medium-twin helicopter, set to go on sale in 2016. The new model was designed for versatility, being able to commute to offshore platforms, going on public-service missions, providing emergency medical services as well as handling the day to day rigors set by private businesses and aviation.

“We used the initial styling developed by PEUGEOT Design Lab to define a strong personality for the rotorcraft—a mirror reflection of the innovation, performance and emotion unique to the H160. We developed a helicopter based on the PEUGEOT Design Lab design which immediately caught the attention of both operators and the general public. Style has become a key priority for the H160 programme, which aims to make a strong impression both with its unique personality and its performance,” said Guillaume Chielens, Head of Design at Airbus Helicopters.

The H160 is indeed a very modern-looking chopper. We wouldn’t go as far as to call it futuristic, but there aren’t many other models right now that can offer a sleeker design – which some owners might appreciate.

The design team took the previous generation Dauphin model and revamped the nose while adding sleeker lines, an airframe made from composite materials, a biplane stabilizer, a canted tail rotor and Blue Edge blades.

Cathan Loughnane, Head of Peugeot global brand design studio said that “Peugeot Design Lab demonstrated its ability to take on complex technological projects through its work on the exterior design of the H160. Since it was established in 2012, an extensive range of customers have relied on the studio’s services: Dassault Aviation, Alstom, Bombardier, Leclerc, SEB, Quechua and more.”

Also, as a quick memory jog, one of the latest Peugeot Design Lab projects was the Le Bistro du Lion food truck.

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