Safran plans to obtain Federal Aviation Administration certification of three new helicopter turbine engines in 2019.
Initially, the French powerplant manufacturer wants to certify the Arrano 1A for the twin-engined, medium Airbus H160 helicopter. The turbine produces between 1,100shp to 1,300shp. Airbus Helicopters selected the Arrano 1A as the sole engine type on the H160, partially due to its ability to deliver extra power when operating in hot-and-high conditions, says the manufacturer.
Second, around midyear, the company aims to obtain certification of the Aneto-1K for the twin-engined Leonardo AW189K. The Aneto-1K is designed to produce 2,500shp. The AW189K also can be equipped with the General Electric GE CT7-2E1.
Last, by the end of the year, the firm plans to certify the Ardiden 1H1 (Shakti) / 1U for Hindustan Aeronautics’ single-engined Light Utility Helicopter. The Ardiden 1H1 (Shakti) / 1U is designed to produce 1,430shp.
Safran Arrano turbine
Safran
Separately, the company reported that in 2018 it increased production year-on-year by 16% to 820 turbine engines.
Yet, despite launching three new engines and increasing production, Safran says it sees the helicopter market remaining flat.
“We see at the moment what we believe is a slow recovery scenario, with different market dynamics depending on the market segments,” said Franck Saudo, chief executive of Safran Helicopter Engines. “We see an offshore market which is soft at the moment, not decreasing significantly anymore, but not recovering significantly at the moment.”
A few bright spots include growth in the European emergency medical services market and growth in emerging markets, especially Asia.
Further into the future Safran is more optimistic, however.
“We believe in a positive outcome medium to long term,” says Saudo. “We believe in 2% growth per year over the medium to long term.”
Source: FlightGlobal.com
