The Air Current • Carter Johnston

Airbus Helicopters targets counter-UAS roles for H160M and H145M as militaries pivot to integrated manned–uncrewed rotorcraft

The Pentagon is increasingly turning to helicopters to meet the scale and cost advantages of drone warfare, pushing new counter-UAS mission concepts. Airbus Helicopters’ H160M “agnostic” drone integration (targeted first delivery in late 2028) and H145M’s expanded anti-drone focus highlight how Western rotorcraft fleets are being re-architected for integrated manned–uncrewed operations, including teaming models for missions such as wildfire response and search-and-rescue.