HI Uplift: 2026 – Year of the super medium (or not yet)?

The new Bell 525 Relentless super medium is expected to gain FAA approval this year. (Photocredit: Bell).

Happy 18th birthday to the super medium helicopter. The first generally accepted super medium – the Airbus H175, originally known as the Eurocopter EC175 – was launched at Heli-Expo show in Houston, Texas on February 24th, 2008. So, 18 years on, will 2026 become the year that the platform truly comes of age and broadens its appeal?

Super medium helicopters have always promised a lot. They offer a beguiling sweet spot blending the range and payload of heavier models with better economics, measured by lower fuel consumption and greater mission flexibility. Lower acquisition and operating costs per seat-mile must be an attractive proposition.

Compared with medium helicopters, they offer longer range/endurance than traditional mediums, with 16-19 seats and advanced avionics for increased safety and reduced pilot workload. Typical super medium missions include providing lift for offshore transport, search and rescue (SAR), VIP and corporate plus utility missions.

Besides the H175, delivered to launch customer NHV in 2014, the super medium fleet also includes Leonardo Helicopters AW189 and one other (which is not yet in commercial service). The AW189 was launched at the Paris Air Show of 2011 and completed its maiden flight later that year. Launch customer Bristow introduced the first AW189 into commercial service for oil and gas operations in the North Sea in July 2014.

Bell 525 Relentless

Which brings us to the long awaited, yet still unlicenced by the FAA, Bell 525 Relentless. Launched at Heli-Expo 2012 in Dallas, the aircraft completed its maiden flight on July 1st, 2015. But the global pandemic and other factors have led to significant delays in the new helicopter winning FAA certification. (That is expected this year).

More positively, Bell announced the first commercial purchase agreement for the Bell 525 in March 2024. This order was for 10 helicopters for offshore operations from Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor. (There were also letters of Intent signed that were never confirmed as orders).

So, do customers think super mediums bridge the gap between medium and heavy helicopters? Current data from Cirium Fleets Analyzer indicates 13 confirmed deliveries of super mediums last year – although final numbers are still pending. That’s significantly lower than the 21 units recorded in 2024, according to Sara Dhariwal, principal aviation analyst lead appraiser – Helicopter and AAM Markets at Cirium.

“2025 deliveries align more closely with long-term trends, suggesting that 2024 was an anomalous bumper year, rather than the start of a sustained surge,” Dhariwal tells us. “Although the actual orderbook is unconfirmed by the OEMs, it seems unlikely that there will be a big ramp up in 2026.”

Rejuvenated Sikorsky S-92

So, how will relatively limited super medium orders play out against demand for the rejuvenated Sikorsky S-92 heavy helicopter – particularly after the manufacturer’s $100m investment into the S-92 Phase IV main gearbox revealed in March 2025?

“This [lower super medium orders] limits any immediate competitive pressure on the existing S-92 fleet, as super mediums are unlikely to displace significant capacity in the near term,” says Dhariwal.

Clark McGinn, founder and principal of consultancy Uplifting Advice thinks 2026 should be the Year of the Super Medium – if potential buyers can find the finance. Very few commercial banks have any appetite to fund helicopters servicing oil and gas, he says.

“It’s hard to see a resumption of the S-92 production line, so operators will be husbanding their S-92 fleet towards the hard weather/long range missions – though they still seem to fit best within oil and gas and search and rescue missions,” he tells us.

That gives scope for a modest uptick in H175 and AW189 orders. “For me the jury’s still out on the Bell 525 partly because of the certification saga but more on its pricing – likely higher than the existing super mediums which seems a push in this market.”

Similar optimism for super mediums is voiced by Alastair Fallon, director, senior appraiser of the consultancy F4 – Fly Fast Further First. He sees strong demand for all twin-engine helicopters including mediums and super mediums. The first order last year for the long-awaited Bell 525 was a significant step forward.

‘Three main thoroughbreds’

“Four new Bell 525 aircraft will serve in the North Sea sector with Equinor once current testing has been complete and airworthiness certification granted,” he tells us. “Once in service the super medium category will have three main thoroughbreds competing for a tight specialist corner of the market: medium distance offshore utility roles, where economics is the driver.”

Optimism about the prospects for super mediums this year, at least in the oil and gas sector, is not shared by Brad Shaen, director at International Aviation Marketing. “2026 will definitely not be the Year of the Super Medium. If anything, I think it will be the year of the S-92 – the year of the heavy helicopter again – at least in the offshore oil and gas market,” Shaen tells us. “The focus this year will probably be on the re-emergence of heavies and how critical they are to the oil and gas and search and rescue industries.”

While the super medium has been around for nearly 20 years with the H175 and later the AW189, “it’s still very much a niche product at best. Other than in very specific markets, it has never really found its role,” he adds.

Returning to the Sikorsky S-92, Shaen acknowledges it’s an old airframe but with that comes reliability, he says. “Do they have parts supply issues? Yes. Everybody now has parts supply issues. So, when you take that off the table, it has always done the missions that it has been asked to do.”

Helicopter lift, while representing a small percentage of expense in the oil and gas business has proved to be a critical requirement, Shaen points out.

So, differing views on super mediums. It remains to be seen if 2026 – the super medium’s 18th birthday – will prove the year when the platform truly comes of age. Encouraging indicators would be a significant expansion of the type’s market share and FAA licensing and the first commercial deliveries of the Bell 525 Relentless to (patient) customers.

Let us know what you think about the prospects for super mediums this year.