Di French armed forces dem new light multi-role helicopter, wey dem dey call Guépard, wey mean Cheetah, don complete di first test firing during flight of im weapons. Dis one happen for di Directorate General of Armaments, wey dem dey call DGA, Flight Test site for Cazaux, with help from Airbus Helicopters.
For di test, di Cheetah fire from di axial gun pod, weapons wey dey di doors, like machine gun and sniper rifle type, and also decoys. Apart from di weapons, dem test di mission assistant, wey be computer system wey connect to all di sensors, communication systems, and weapons of di helicopter. Dis system help di crew to maximize dia performance and make sure di operation dey efficient well well.
Di Guépard dey develop as part of di Joint Light Helicopter program, wey dem dey call HIL. Di aim na to give di three branches of French armed forces one single multi-role helicopter wey go replace five models: Gazelle, Alouette III, Dauphin, Panther, and Fennec. Di first flight of di prototype happen for July 2025.
Di French armed forces expect to buy 80 helicopters for di Army, 49 for di Navy, and 40 for di Air and Space Force. Dem dey expect di first delivery for 2028. Di Guépard take im origin from di Airbus Helicopters H160 civilian helicopter. Dem choose am as common platform to meet di different operational needs of French armed forces.
Di helicopter go perform combat, intelligence, airspace and maritime surveillance, light operational transport and support missions, and public service missions. E go complement di Tigre, NH90, and Caracal helicopters wey dey service already. Di Guépard go get avionics wey come from Thales’ FlytX system, wey dem design for dual-use operations. Im weapons system fit integrate many weapons. Apart from di ones dem test for di trials, dem dey consider to add rockets, laser-guided rockets, and Akeron LP anti-tank missiles.
For im missions to support French Navy and Air and Space Force, di helicopter go get di next-generation Airmaster C radar, wey Thales develop. DGA Flight Test Center dey prepare new series of tests for dis radar, wey dem go do with Thales. Di Guépard go also get resilient navigation and radio communication wey go make cooperation between drones and helicopters better, even for jammed environments.
Di assembly of Guépard go happen for Airbus Helicopters site for Marignane. Di Airbus Joint Light Helicopter H160M go be christened as Guépard by French Armed Forces. Airbus Helicopters don bring di program forward to 2021.
For separate matter, di Indian Army dey plan to replace early variants of Cheetahs and Chetak light-utility helicopters with home-grown advanced light helicopters after many crashes raise safety concerns. Di army aviation wing go replace 41 Cheetahs.
