The future helicopter of the Naval Air Force continues to grow in power. Since its first flight in July 2025, the Cheetah prototype has been subjected to a sustained pace of development tests and the opening of the flight envelope.
On 16 January, for the first time, Prototype No. 1 participated in an interaction of opportunity with the Force Replenishment Ship (BRF) Jacques Stosskopf, marking its first contact with a Naval Action Force unit. The H160M flew in an armed configuration in the vicinity of the BRF without landing. The objective was to subject the helicopter’s sensors to the magnetic disturbances generated by a vessel the size of the BRF.
The H160M is a heavily modified version of the H160B, currently being implemented by Flotilla 32F. With 49 examples planned for the French Navy, the Guépard will bring new capabilities and several major technological breakthroughs, through its native connectivity, its armament and its new-generation radar. Its innovative avionics redefine cockpit ergonomics. The Guépard will be much more than the successor to the Dauphin/Panther family and will mark a major evolution for the crews as well as for all the actors of naval combat.
The Navy participates in the joint development of the Guépard through the HIL detachment of the CEPA/10S based in Istres, in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters and the DGA. Flight tests will gradually intensify with the arrival of two other prototypes, spanning from 2025 to 2029, to evaluate the common base of the three armies, and then the specificities specific to each.