Safran signs by-the-hour support contracts with Icelandic Coast Guard covering Makila engines

Safran Helicopter Engines has signed Support-By-Hour (SBH®) contracts with Icelandic Coast Guard, covering two H225. This contract formalizes a five year Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) agreement supporting a total of 4 Makila 2A1 engines.  

Commented Höskuldur Ólafsson, Icelandic Coast Guard, Helicopter Director Maintenance: “With this contract, we will benefit from a the best engine-support for our Makila engines. We are delighted to have Safran on our side during our missions”.  

Olivier Le Merrer, Safran Helicopter Engines EVP Support & Services, said: “We are extremely proud  to provide this support solution to Icelandic Coast Guard for their H225 helicopters. We will deliver world-class services to guarantee the availability of their engines during their missions.”  

This contract will be managed by Safran Helicopter Engines Germany, which supports more than 280 operators flying in Germany, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia.

The Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) is a civilian law enforcement agency that is responsible for search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, and law enforcement in the seas surrounding Iceland. It will operate two H225 owned by Knut Axel Ugland Holding AS, by March 2019.  

SBH® is Safran Helicopter Engines maintenance-by-the-hour service. It makes engine operating costs predictable, eliminate cash peaks, allow flexibility for scheduled and unscheduled MRO coverage. It now covers 40% of Safran Helicopter Engines customer turbines’ flying hours.  

SBH® is part of EngineLife® Services, Safran’s range of solutions for helicopter engines. 

Eric Dalbiès appointed Senior Executive Vice-President Safran Helicopter Engines and CEO Safran Power Units

15 November 2018, Bordes  

Safran Helicopter Engines has appointed Eric Dalbiès as Senior Executive Vice-President and Safran Power Units CEO. At Safran Power Units, Eric succeeds François Tarel, who has been appointed to another position within the Group. 

Eric Dalbiès joined Snecma1 in 1992, within space propulsion division in Vernon. Within Snecma, he fulfilled various positions in engineering and programs until 2005. In 2005, he was appointed Turbomeca2 Head of information systems, before being named deputy to the President and Head of the improvement initiatives in 2008.

Since 2013, Eric Dalbiès served as Safran Executive Vice-President, Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions. 

Eric Dalbiès (51) is a graduate from Ecole Polytechnique (1987) and ISAE-SUPAERO (1992).       

*1 today Safran Aircraft Engines
*2 today Safran Helicopter Engines

Safran Helicopter Engines introduces brand-new customer portal

 
Amsterdam, Helitech International, 16 October 2018 

Safran Helicopter Engines is rolling out its new EngineLife® online customer portal. Easy-to-use and featuring advanced functionality, EngineLife® Customer Portal provides Safran Helicopter Engines customers with a unique doorway to access all digital services. 

Fully private and secured, the website has been designed by and for the customers. Safran has created a one-click access to all new digital services such as tracking the engine status (MRO Process Tracking), spares parts e-ordering (e-Spares), technical publications (Web IETP), engine Health Monitoring, and remote video assistance (Expert link). 

Available 24/7 on every smartphone, tablet and desktop device, EngineLife® Customer Portal welcomes enquiries from every level and for all types of use. A mechanic can consult an engine maintenance manual from his tablet, a purchasing manager can track the status of spare part orders from his smartphone, and a top level manager can display his personalized dashboards to get a 360 overview of his activity with Safran Helicopter Engines.                            

Philippe Galan, Safran Helicopter Engins Chief Digital Officer, added: “The new customer portal has been developed using an agile methodology, iterative, and customer-centric. This was a 2-year effort to build a new portal with an efficient design, personalized information, video guides, and new digital services to optimize their operations!” 

The EngineLife® Customer Portal is the daily digital tool for over 2800 operators with over 400,000 connections per year. It is part of EngineLife® Services, Safran’s range of solutions for helicopter engine. 

El Bell 505 hace escala en Bordes (Francia)

El nuevo helicóptero ligero monomotor de Bell visitó el pasado mes de junio la planta Joseph Szydlowski en Bordes (Francia). El Bell 505 monta un turboeje Safran Arrius 2R.

©Remy Bertrand - Safran

El equipo de Bell fue recibido por Nicolas Billecocq, vicepresidente del Programa de Motores para Helicópteros Ligeros de Safran Helicopter Engines. "Ver aterrizar el Bell 505 con el motor Arrius justo frente a nuestra fábrica es un momento emotivo además de un poderoso símbolo de la nueva asociación que une a Bell y Safran en un innovador y competitivo equipo", (comentó Nicolas Billecocq).

Después de visitar las áreas de producción, el equipo de Bell habló para los más de 300 empleados de Safran sobre el programa B505.

©Remy Bertrand - Safran

El Bell 505 está actualmente inmerso en una enorme gira de demostración por toda Europa. Con una velocidad de 125 kts (232 km/h), un alcance de 340 nm (629 km) y una carga útil de 1.500 libras (680 kg), el helicóptero está diseñado para otorgar una gran seguridad y facilidad de pilotaje.

Su Arrius 2R está diseñado para ofrecer un magnífico rendimiento y potencia (500 CV), al mismo tiempo que mejora la seguridad y reduce la carga de trabajo del piloto a través de su FADEC de doble canal. Es la única turbina en el rango de potencia con este sistema. Construido alrededor de un motor central ampliamente probado, la configuración en doble módulo ofrece una alta fiabilidad, a la vez de bajos costes de mantenimiento y operación.

Didier Nicoud appointed Safran Helicopter Engines Executive Vice-President, Engineering

16 July 2018, Bordes  

Safran Helicopter Engines has appointed Didier Nicoud as Executive Vice-President, Engineering. Didier succeeds Eric Massé who has been appointed to another position within the Group.  

Didier Nicoud joined Safran Aircraft Engines in 1987 as an aerodynamics engineer in charge of numerical methods development. In 1992, he fulfilled roles such as Head of the aerodynamics department for high pressure compressors and Head of the fan and booster design department. In 2005, he was appointed Chief Engineer in charge of large engines, the GE90 and GP7200, in cooperation with General Electric.  

In 2008, Didier joined Safran Helicopter Engines as Deputy VP Engineering with responsibility for systems engineering. He was principally in charge of engine development and certification, as well as technical support for in-service engines. Since 2013, he has served as VP Engineering of Safran Nacelles.  

Dider Nicoud (55) is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d'Aérotechnique (ISAE-ENSMA, 1986). 

Bell and Safran Announce Shared Vision for On-Demand Mobility

New collaboration between Bell and Safran on the development of innovative hybrid electric propulsion systems for future air taxi and VTOL systems.

Cologne, Germany (June 19, 2018) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the Future of Transportation World Conference a newly formed collaboration with Safran (Euronext Paris: SAF) on the development of innovative hybrid electric power system solutions to support Bell’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft concept.

“Bell is at the forefront of on-demand mobility – ushering a new era of flight where the benefits of aviation are accessible to more people in more places,” said Scott Drennan, Bell’s director of Innovation, while speaking at the Transportation Conference. “This announcement is another proof point of our commitment to providing transportation of people and logistics in new, innovative and more efficient ways; our work with Safran is a historical milestone for future transport solutions.” 

For several years, Safran innovation teams have been actively exploring the potential of hybrid solutions for future propulsion systems. Bell and Safran’s shared vision for electric and hybrid electric aircraft is to strive for the successful deployment of Bell Air Taxis and new on-demand mobility systems in the future.

“Thanks to the long and sustained technology-development strategy conducted within the Safran group, we can now offer Bell our hybrid electric power solutions for their next generation products that result in improved performance giving more value to our customers,” said Stéphane Cueille, Safran senior executive vice president, R&T and Innovation.

In this collaboration, Bell will lead the design, development and production of VTOL systems, and Safran will bring its technical expertise to bear in the development of a disruptive propulsion system.

H145 is best in class for hoist operations with increased engine power

Marignane, 21 April 2017 – Airbus has extended the flight envelope of the H145 by enhancing the helicopter’s OEI power. The acronym OEI stands for “One-engine-inoperative”, measuring the performance of an aircraft with only one engine remaining operative. With the increased power, the light-twin helicopter H145 can accommodate two additional technicians or can fly longer distances during a mission which requires human external cargo (HEC) operations.

The OEI performance is especially important for HEC missions, thus supporting the H145’s leading position in the offshore wind energy market. HEC is the ability to safely carry human beings on a winch in the air, for example the transfer of technicians to offshore platforms. An increase in OEI power gives the operators more leeway for hoisting operations, which are strictly regulated in terms of engine power and weight parameters. The light-twin helicopter H145 now offers roughly nine percent increased hover performance capability in OEI mode within the two minutes power band, allowing 40 percent more useful load for the operator.

This improvement has been implemented in alignment with helicopter operators and the offshore and energy industry. The H145 offers the highest performance parameters in all HEC categories in its class.

The upgrade was certified by the European Airworthiness Safety Agency (EASA) in March 2017. The H145’s enhanced power and load capabilities will in particular bring benefit to commercial winch operators for missions such as hoisting to offshore wind turbine generators, sea / harbour pilot transfer or powerline maintenance. The new certification allows safe OEI-performance for 2.5min, as the higher 30sec OEI-power is taken into account within an emergency situation.

Wiking Helikopter Service GmbH, who just won the Sea Pilot Contract for the German North Sea for the next 3 years is the first offshore operator to perform operations with the increased engine performance after the engine upgrade by Safran. “The additional power reserves of the H145 contribute even more to safety and efficiency of our daily operations over the North Sea in all weather conditions” said Alexander von Plato, Managing Director of Wiking Helikopter Service.

The H145 in offshore configuration is equipped with a Hoist certified for HEC, an emergency floatation system certified for Sea State 6, a helicopter emergency egress lighting system, a weather radar and an automatic deployable emergency locator transmitter. In its offshore seating configuration the H145 can transport up to eight passengers. The combination of compact external dimensions, a comparatively small rotor diameter and the largest interior in its class make the H145 highly suitable for offshore operations.

With a share of approximately 60 percent, Airbus Helicopters is market leader in the wind/offshore helicopter segment, building on its more than 40 years of experience in supplying helicopters for offshore missions such as transport to oil & gas platforms, search and rescue or sea pilot transport. In the medium term, Airbus estimates the global demand in this segment to grow to more than 1,000 aircraft, and expects a market share of more than 50 percent.

Airbus Helicopters rolls out 700th H130

Airbus Helicopters celebrated a major milestone last week with the roll-out of the 700th H130 light single-engine helicopter, which will be operated by a private customer.

Marignane, Airbus Helicopters celebrated a major milestone last week with the roll-out of the 700th H130 light single-engine helicopter, which will be operated by a private customer.

The H130 fleet has so far accumulated more than 1.8M flight hours with 340 operators worldwide. Since entry into service of the first EC130 in 2001, this light single engine helicopter has continued to evolve to better respond to customer’s expectations, with the latest H130 variant being certified in 2012. Since the beginning of this year, all H130s are produced with a glass cockpit for increased pilot awareness and enhanced safety.

Offering a spacious and comfortable cabin, low sound levels, the best visibility and the lowest operating cost per passenger in its class, the H130 is a reference for passenger transport and tourism operations around the world. It is also widely used for other missions including emergency medical services, private and business aviation and aerial work.

Arriel 2H obtains EASA type certification

23 April 2018, Bordes  

Safran Helicopter Engines has received EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E. This Arriel variant was selected in 2015 to power this helicopter developed by AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, a subsidiary of Avic (Aviation Industry Corporation of China). The AC312E made its maiden flight in July 2016.

Commented Nicolas Billecocq, Safran Helicopter Engines Vice President Light Helicopter Engines Program, “Type certification is an important milestone for the Arriel engine program. It emphasizes that the Arriel remains a very robust and high-performance engine solution for new rotorcraft. We now look forward to the next steps in the development of the AC312E”.

Developed from the Arriel 2+, the 2H is one of the most powerful Arriel variants with a take-off power rating of 986 shp. The Arriel 2H will deliver better reliability, power and performance during demanding missions. 

The Arriel is the best-selling helicopter engine in its class. Over the past 40 years, over 12,000 units have been produced, together logging more than 50 million flight hours. With power outputs ranging from 650 to over 1,000 shp, the Arriel family now powers over 40 different helicopter types. An Arriel-powered helicopter takes off every 15 seconds – all day, every day.

Ardiden 3C obtains EASA type certification

20 April 2018, Bordes 

Safran Helicopter Engines has received EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) engine type certification for its Ardiden 3C. Powering the Avicopter AC352, the engine has been jointly developed and built by Safran Helicopter Engines, Dongan and HAPRI, parts of the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) consortium. 

Known in China as the WZ16, it should be certified by CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) in September 2019. The Ardiden 3C/WZ16 will be the first helicopter engine to be certified by both CAAC and EASA. 

Commented Franck Saudo, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, “this certification is a major milestone in the Ardiden 3C/WZ16 program. It confirms that the engine is performing extremely well and represents a major step for the AC352 flight test program. We now look forward to CAAC certification and are fully committed to supporting Avicopter as it approaches entry-into-service.” 

The Ardiden 3C/WZ16 is a new-generation turboshaft in the 1,700 to 2,000 shp power class. It features a remarkably compact modular architecture, a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio and a low cost-of-ownership. Compared to engines operating in the same power range, it offers ten per cent lower fuel consumption. 

Ardiden 3C flight test campaign started in December 2016 with the AC352’s maiden flight. Another variant, the Ardiden 3G, has also been selected by Russian Helicopters to power its Ka-62 which made its first flight in May 2017. 
Since first ground tests of its two variants, the Ardiden 3 range maturation and certification campaign has accumulated more than 10,000 hours of trials, and will demonstrate a high level of maturity at entry-into-service. 

With over 500 engines in operation, China represents a major strategic market for Safran Helicopter Engines. One of every two Chinese-registered helicopters is equipped with a Safran engine or licensed product. This level of business is the result of 40 years of cooperation with industry in China.