The first pre-serial H160 has been fitted with its rear fuselage, the first major component assembly having been pre-assembled in Albacete, Spain according to the site specialisation strategy implemented in Airbus Helicopters.
The main fuselage of the first pre-serial aircraft arrived from the company's facilities in Donauwörth, Germany earlier in the year. A total of ten pre-serial aircraft are planned and will be assembled progressively, allowing the company to fine-tune its industrial process. As the process gains in maturity, assembly lead-times will decrease to reach the target assembly time of forty days at the full production rate.