JUSTIN WASTNAGE / MARSEILLES
Eurocopter has completed studies of a higher-powered version of the EC155 B1 enhanced Dauphin to rival the long-awaited Bell Agusta Aerospace AB139 medium twin helicopter. The Franco-German manufacturer has carried out detailed engineering studies into a higher gross weight "EC155 HP", but says it will wait until the AB139 enters service before launching production.
Jérôme Combe, manager of military applications for Eurocopter, says the EC155 HP will be based on its higher-powered military stablemate, the EC655 HP currently under development. The latter was designed for use in high-temperature and high-altitude conditions.
Combe says there is a market in the offshore oil worker transport market for an aircraft "to fill the gap between the EC155 and the AB139" but that "the civilian market alone is not sufficient to support the production of a prototype". Eurocopter has only sold around 50 EC155s to VIP and offshore customers since March 1999.
Modifications to the aircraft's main gearbox and landing gear have been finalised, but further study into "customer requirements" is needed before a decision to launch is taken, says Combe.
Eurocopter is keen to offer more power for offshore versions of the EC155, as its one-engine out climb speed of 150ft/min (0.76m/s) is close to the minimum required for Category A operation. Combe says the engine is likely to be a growth version of the Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 free-turbine engine. The French engine supplier has been working on an uprated version of the 2C2 powerplant using a cooled turbine in response to Honeywell's LTS101-950 development for the US Coast Guard's Eurocopter HH-65A (AS365N3) Dolphin upgrade programme.
Eurocopter is also considering a study into possible civilian uses of the NH Industries NH90 naval helicopter following search and rescue trials in Norway. Combe says the airframe provides the "perfect" platform for a future 11,000kg (24,230lb) class civilian helicopter, but it is likely that the expensive military systems and engine would be replaced with those developed for the EC225 Super Puma.
Source: Flight International
