Orlando, HAI Heli-Expo, 4 March 2015

Turbomeca (Safran) and Rotortrade have announced at HAI Heli Expo 2015 a further step in their cooperation with the launch of a specific warranty program that will cover Turbomeca-powered pre-owned helicopters sold by Rotortrade Services worldwide.

According to Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support and Services, this innovative program, the first ever launched by an engine manufacturer, "will provide Turbomeca customers added value compared to other OEM's engines. This agreement shows a new development strategy on the worldwide second-hand helicopter market. Through this extended warranty service, Turbomeca confirms the group's determination to remain a pioneer and leader in this business".

Philippe Lubrano, Rotortrade Services' Senior Partner, stated that "this agreement is a further demonstration of Rotortrade Services' strong relationship with major OEMs, as well of its commitment to offer ever broader range of services to its customers. This new capability is part of an overall strategy to professionalize the second-hand helicopters market towards a more customer-oriented and value-added approach".

Orlando, HAI Heli-Expo, 5 March 2015

Turbomeca (Safran) and DRF Luftrettung announce the signature of a 10-year Support By the Hour (SBH) contract for their 40 Arriel 2E engines. With the Turbomeca-powered EC145T2 fleet DRF Luftrettung perform HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) missions in Germany.

Richard Musil, CEO of Turbomeca Germany GmbH mentioned, "After signing a five year SBH contract for 26 Arriel 1E2 engines in February 2012, DRF Luftrettung has again chosen the SBH contract to cover the engines of their newest fleet. This is a further step that strengthens our relationship with DRF Luftrettung, an important collaboration that has been developed over the last five years." The Turbomeca SBH contract allows customers to tailor agreements based on their operational needs.

Hamburg-based Turbomeca Germany GmbH will provide support and maintenance to DRF Luftrettung engines. "As the first operator worldwide DRF Luftrettung put the first helicopter of type EC 145 T2 officially into service at its HEMS base in Munich on February 11th, 2015. This represents a milestone in modernizing the DRF Luftrettung fleet since this type of helicopter will be delivered to further HEMS bases in 2015 as well. We are very glad to have a reliable partner on our side regarding support and maintenance", explains Steffen Lutz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung.

Founded in 1991, Turbomeca Germany employs 46 persons and provides 24/7 support for 285 customers in 29 countries (located in northern, central and...

Paris, May 28, 2015

Effective June 15, 2015, the following corporate management appointments take effect at Safran:

Stéphane Abrial is named Senior Executive Vice President, International and Public Affairs (member of the Executive Committee). The International and Public Affairs department will also be in charge of Group-wide programs and relations with Boeing and Airbus. Bruno Cotté and Jean-Pierre Cojan, previously Executive Vice President, European and International Relations, and Executive Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, respectively, will assist Stéphane Abrial in positions to be defined at a later date.

Pierre Fabre is named Senior Executive Vice President, R&T and Innovation (member of the Executive Committee), succeeding Eric Bachelet, who has retired. The R&T (Research & Technology) and Innovation department will be in charge of the new Safran Analytics entity.

Alex Fain is named Corporate Secretary (member of the Executive Committee). The Corporate Office is responsible for audit, legal and industrial protection-safety functions, as well as acting as secretary to the Board of Directors.

Olivier Andriès is named CEO of Snecma (member of the...

Le Bourget, Paris Air Show, 15 June 2015

During the Paris Air Show, Turbomeca (Safran) is celebrating a major achievement: 100 million hours flown by its engine range. A Turbomeca-powered helicopter takes off every nine seconds, somewhere in the world.

The first flight of a Turbomeca turboshaft took place in 1949. Since then, Turbomeca has produced over 72,000 more and is now the leading helicopter engine manufacturer worldwide.

Today, 18,200 Turbomeca engines are in service around the world. Through powering new-generation rotorcraft like the Airbus Helicopter H160 and the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, the Safran's subsidiary remains at the leading edge of innovation. It is committed to remaining the first-choice engine provider of the helicopter industry.

Turbomeca's history has been marked by numerous records. Its Artouste II powered the Alouette II, the first serially-produced turbine-powered helicopter in the world. The helicopter's...

Le Bourget, Paris Air Show, 15 June 2015

Turbomeca (Safran) is investigating new ground breaking technologies to address the need for greater performance and reduced environmental footprint of new-generation heavy rotorcraft.

The TECH3000 demonstrator is a key technological basis of a new family of engines in the 3,000 shp range. It will enable Turbomeca to validate the design and core performances of such new high power engines, aimed at the heavy helicopter market.

Since the beginning of 2015, Turbomeca has been running extensive tests on TECH3000 components and modules. Key technologies of the compressor have already been validated and tests of combustion chamber and turbine are underway. Engine tests integrating these new technologies will start at the end of 2015.

The TECH3000 and its serial derivatives will deliver a 25 % improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the state-of-the-art engines available today on the market in this segment.

With these technological achievements in design, as well as those related to...

Le Bourget, Paris Air Show, 16 June 2015

Norwegian Air Ambulance (Norsk Luftambulanse AS) has selected Turbomeca's (Safran) Arrius 2B2^Plus engine to power its three new Airbus Helicopters H135.

Signed at the Paris Airshow, this agreement marks the first step of a new collaboration with one of Europe's major medical airlift service provider.

Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support & Services, said: "We are proud to be part of this continuing effort to provide medical assistance to the Norwegian people. Norwegian Air Ambulance is recognized for its expertise and its focus on introducing new products and services. The Arrius 2B2^Plus combines state-of-the-art technology with best–in-class reliability. Its selection confirms the competitive advantage of our solution for the light and medium helicopter market."

Norwegian Air Ambulance CEO,...

This joint venture will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul for Turbomeca and HAL engines installed on HAL-produced helicopters. Therefore the engine fleet which will be addressed is the TM333 and Shakti engines. Together, Turbomeca and HAL intend to offer their Indian customers a first-class service, with the goal of optimizing engine availability.

With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and 250 Shakti, India's armed forces are the largest operator of Turbomeca-designed engines in the country. Shakti is the Indian designation of the Turbomeca Ardiden 1, co-developed with HAL, and produced under license.

This joint venture will boost the "Make-in-India" drive, considering the forecast that around 1,000 Shakti engines will be flying in India over the coming years.

Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support & Services, said, "this joint venture is a new step in a long-lasting and fruitful partnership between Turbomeca and HAL We are extremely proud...

Le Bourget, Paris Air Show, 17 June 2015

Turbomeca (Safran), Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa) and DEFLOC (Locação de Equipamentos de Defesa, S.A.) have signed at the Paris Air Show, signed in the presence of the Portuguese Secretary of State, Assistant to The Minister of National Defense, Mrs Berta Cabral, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Portuguese RTM322-powered EH101 fleet.

bnpix / Safran

The engines of these rotorcrafts will be covered by a Global Support Package (GSP). GSP is a long term support contract that optimizes turboshaft availability and enables military operators to focus on their core activity.

Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support & Services, said, "this MoU is a new step in the partnership between Turbomeca and Portuguese Air Force. We are extremely proud of this new commitment for a GSP contract to support RTM322-powered rotorcrafts. We are committed to offer world-class support to the Portuguese Air Force".

The Portuguese Air Force operates a fleet of 12 Turbomeca-powered EH101, dedicated to tactical airlift operations and search and rescue.

Bordes, 4 September 2015

Turbomeca (Safran) delivered the first production Arrius 2R engine to Bell Helicopter in August 2015, on schedule. Selected to power the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, the Arrius 2R is the only turbine in the 500 shp range to feature a dual-channel FADEC. With seven million flight hours already logged by Arrius variants, the 2R will also offer an unmatched level of maturity at entry-into-service.
The handover to Bell Helicopter happened at the new Bell 505 assembly center in Lafayette, Louisiana and marks a major step in the Arrius 2R program. It confirms Turbomeca's commitment to delivering best-in-class engine solutions on time.
Jean-François Sauer, Arrius 2R Program Vice President, said: "We are perfectly on track to meet Bell Helicopter's expectations, and moving at a steady pace towards EASA engine certification by the end of 2015. Delivering on the Arrius 2R program is among Turbomeca's top priorities."
Launched in 2013, the Arrius 2R is following a fast development schedule that has successfully passed on schedule all its milestones, among which first ground run (April 2014) at the company's Bordes factory, and a first flight aboard the Bell 505 at Bell Helicopter's Mirabel facility in November 2014.
The Arrius 2R is designed to deliver performance and power within the 500 shp range, while improving safety and lowering pilot workload via the FADEC. Its twin-module configuration offers low maintenance and operating...

Tarnos is Turbomeca's second biggest site and is mainly dedicated to support and services. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in presence of Turbomeca CEO Bruno Even and 1500 Tarnos employees with their families.

The Tarnos plant was established in May 1965 to support the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca (RRTM) joint-venture. Its first project was to produce Adour engines for the Anglo-French Jaguar combat aircraft. The first production Adour was produced in 1970, by which time Turbomeca support services had been transferred to the new factory.

Tarnos is now the backbone of the company's worldwide customer support and service network and the major repair facility for its in-service engines.

CEO Bruno Even said: "Tarnos establishment in 1965 was a major event in Turbomeca's history. As we celebrate this anniversary, we want to pay tribute to all its employees who, over the years, have supported Turbomeca's journey to becoming world leader in the helicopter engine market. Their commitment reflects our uncompromised dedication to excellence and customer satisfaction".

Through a cutting-edge hybridization project, Turbomeca is studying new twin-engine power management concepts. One of them includes trials of "sleep modes" to optimize the power available with the mission profiles. Whenever needed, the sleeping engine can be rapidly re-activated using an innovative electric power generation system. This concept will allow significant cuts in fuel consumption, whilst preserving the same architecture as other of Turbomeca's engine designs.

Key technologies have already demonstrated an ultra-fast reactivation time, which is revolutionary compared to what conventional starters can provide. A full system is tested on a 2,500 shp class turboshaft since June 2015, and will provide its full results in the coming months.

Turbomeca is also actively investigating other hybridization levels, through various combinations of duration (short versus long periods of hybridization) and intensity (small versus high ratio of additional electrical power brought to the original thermal/mechanical power source).

All such ground-breaking hybrid configurations are part of the "more electric" aircraft research initiatives currently being undertaken at Turbomeca, by combining the expertise and resources of several other Safran companies: Labinal Power Systems (power management systems), Technofan (electric engine) and Microturbo. ...

Bristow Group operates a large fleet of Turbomeca-powered rotorcraft, including the AS332, H155, H225 and S-76C series.

Bristow Group has experienced the benefits of Turbomeca's SBH support, having entered into a number of SBH agreements in the past 25 years  

Frank Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support & Services, said: "Bristow Group has again chosen the SBH contract to support the Turbomeca engined aircraft across their current fleet. This is a further step that strengthens our relationship. This multi-engine SBH agreement will ensure that Bristow Group is able to serve its customers with confidence knowing that engine availability and technical support is secured."

John Cloggie, Bristow Group Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, said: "We are delighted to partner with Turbomeca for the continuing support and maintenance of our Makila & Arriel engines. Turbomeca offers world-class services, and over the years the SBH package has proved successful in providing engine availability at a predictable cost per flight hour".

This five-year SBH agreement enables Bristow Group to pay per flight hour used and in return, receive comprehensive product support for the engines resulting in enhanced availability and flexibility.

Turbomeca's engines operated by Bristow Group are supported through Fareham-based Turbomeca UK subsidiary.

More than 1.4 million engine flight hours per...

During this major event in the rotorcraft calendar, Turbomeca will also highlight its achievements during 2015.

In March, the Arrano was exclusively selected to power the new Airbus Helicopters H160. The following month, the first suite of engines was delivered for use in the ground test program and the first flightworthy example will be dispatched in the coming weeks. First flight is scheduled for the beginning of next year and entry-into-service in 2018. Certification of the Arrano will meet that timetable.

By the end of the year, Turbomeca will start ground tests of the TECH3000. This full-scale technological demonstrator will be at the core of a new family of engines in the 3,000 shp range designed to meet requirements of the new-generation ten ton-plus helicopter market.  TECH3000 will enable Turbomeca to validate the design and basic performance figures of such high-power engines capable of delivering 25 % better fuel economy compared to the state-of-the-art engines available today on this segment.

Turbomeca is also moving towards Arrius 2R certification by end of 2015. Selected to power the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, the Arrius 2R is the only turbine in the 500 shp range to feature a dual-channel FADEC.

The first production engine was delivered to Bell Helicopter on schedule in August. The handover took place at the new B505 assembly center in Lafayette, Louisiana and marked a major step in the Arrius 2R program. It confirmed Turbomeca's...

The H225M is powered by the Turbomeca Makila 2. This 2,100-shp turboshaft is one of the highest-performing and most reliable engines in its category. This combat-proven engine is particularly effective when operating in military transport and rescue missions and has earned a reputation as a safe and reliable partner for operators flying in challenging conditions, notably the North Sea and extreme military environments. Certified in 2004, the Makila 2 powers the H225 and H225M helicopters (manufactured by Airbus Helicopters).

Turbomeca is delivering a complete and comprehensive industrial cooperation package to Poland's aerospace industry. In April 2013, Turbomeca and Airbus Helicopters agreed with Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze 1 (WZL 1) to establish two full assembly lines, one for the H225M and one for the Makila 2. In 2014, Turbomeca has proposed to the Polish Government a unique partnership with WZL 1 covering both the manufacturing of new Makila 2 engines and the setting up of a repair center in the factory of WZL 1 in Deblin. The transfer of such industrial capabilities will be fully supported by Turbomeca through a deep training program and reliable technical assistance.

The extensive involvement...

The Bell 505 redefines the short light single (SLS) class, placing safety, performance and value at the forefront. With seven million flight hours already logged by Arrius variants, the 2R is expected to offer unmatched high level of maturity at entry-into-service.

"The Bell 505 is the first production Bell Helicopter to incorporate a Turbomeca engine,"said Turbomeca CEO Bruno Even. "Delivering a best-in-class solution, on time, continues to be a top priority for us. We are delighted with the progress of this blossoming Franco-American collaboration."

"We are thrilled that Turbomeca has achieved this milestone,"said Matt Hasik, Executive Vice President Commercial Business, Bell Helicopter. "Our collaboration with Turbomeca has been outstanding. They have consistently delivered to schedule and we are delighted to have already received over 350 letters of intent since the launch of the Bell 505 in 2013. The next step for Bell Helicopter will be the certification of the aircraft in 2016, followed by deliveries to our customers."...

The occasion was celebrated in presence of U.S.C.G. Lieutenant Commander Edward S Apontes, and several Turbomeca representatives, from France and USA, at the U.S.C.G. Aviation Logistics Center at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

As part of the Deepwater program, the U.S.C.G. decided in 2004 to re-engine its entire fleet of MH-65 Dolphins with the Arriel 2C2-CG. The first flight of an Arriel-powered MH-65 took place in June 2003, and Turbomeca delivered the first production 2C2-CG in May 2004. A total of 225 engines were delivered, the last one handed over in April 2007.

The Arriel 2C2-CG has provided better safety, reliability, power and performance margins to the MH-65. The helicopters are used for critical missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental response and maritime surveillance.

Jean-François Sauer, Arriel & Arrius program Vice President, said: "Arriel is the proven and reliable engine solution within the 700 to 1,000 shp range. The 10 year successful partnership with the US Coast Guard demonstrates Turbomeca's capability to fulfill U.S. military program requirements, including on-time deliveries, predictable costs and product performance commitments. Our MRO Center in Grand Prairie, Texas, provides close and efficient support to all our U.S. military customers. We are very proud that, every day, U.S.C.G. crews depend on the Arriel to help them protect and save lives".

Over 1,100 Arriel engines are in service...

Commented program Vice-President Cyrille Ressejac-Duparc, "This first flight test marks a major milestone in the Arrano development program. 2015 was a very busy year for our team; indeed, Turbomeca was selected in February, as exclusive engine supplier for the H160 with a challenging helicopter program schedule to follow. Meeting Airbus Helicopters requirements in terms of performance and schedule remains our highest priority".

Since its first ground run in February 2014, more than ten test engines have been running at Bordes (France) to demonstrate performance. Major development and certification tests now include a rigorous endurance evaluation campaign. The turbine's fuel consumption target has already been achieved: data indicates a 10 to 15% reduction compared with current models.

Arrano is positioned at the leading-edge of the new Turbomeca generation of rotorcraft engine. The 1,100 to 1,300 shaft horse-power unit, designed for four-to-six ton helicopters, features an ideal combination of new and proven technologies that allow a significant reduction in direct maintenance and operating costs.

In line with H160 aircraft program schedule, Arrano engine entry-into-service is also scheduled for 2018 and FAA/EASA certification will meet that...

Commented program Vice-President Cyrille Ressejac-Duparc, "This first flight test marks a major milestone in the Arrano development program. 2015 was a very busy year for our team; indeed, Turbomeca was selected in February, as exclusive engine supplier for the H160 with a challenging helicopter program schedule to follow. Meeting Airbus Helicopters requirements in terms of performance and schedule remains our highest priority".

Since its first ground run in February 2014, more than ten test engines have been running at Bordes (France) to demonstrate performance. Major development and certification tests now include a rigorous endurance evaluation campaign. The turbine's fuel consumption target has already been achieved: data indicates a 10 to 15% reduction compared with current models.

Arrano is positioned at the leading-edge of the new Turbomeca generation of rotorcraft engine. The 1,100 to 1,300 shaft horse-power unit, designed for four-to-six ton helicopters, features an ideal combination of new and proven technologies that allow a significant reduction in direct maintenance and operating costs.

In line with H160 aircraft program schedule, Arrano engine entry-into-service is also scheduled for 2018 and FAA/EASA certification will meet that...

Bordes, 26 February 2016

Turbomeca (Safran) has appointed Serge Maillé as Executive Vice-President Strategy and Development. He will manage Turbomeca's business strategy and further strengthen the company's position as the leading helicopter engine manufacturer.

Serge Maillé succeeds Philippe Couteaux who has been appointed to another position within Safran group.

M. Maillé (55) is a graduate engineer from the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) and ISAE-SUPAERO. He joined Turbomeca in 1983 and served as project technical engineer for the RTM322 and technical representative at Airbus Helicopters in 1990; followed by several appointments within the Support and Services division – notably Head of Support and Operator Sales. He was appointed Vice President, Customer Support and Sales in January 2014.