Smith continues rapid revolution as Robinson reveals R88

Robinson Helicopter has launched its first new aircraft for almost 15 years, unveiling plans for the R88, a range-topping $3.3 million turbine-powered single.

While the name of the new helicopter is one of industry’s the worst-kept secrets, little was known about the R88’s size or specification, other than it would be bigger than Robinson’s current R66 flagship, which gained certification in 2010.

But now Robinson has taken the wraps off, promising the R88 will be “a larger, and increasingly capable helicopter designed to meet a wider range of mission requirements”.

Unveiling the new platform at a launch event in Dallas on 9 March, Robinson chief executive David Smith said the airframer had ”taken everything that makes a Robinson helicopter a workhorse and incorporated it into the new design”.

To be powered by a single 1,000shp (745kW)-rated Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2W turboshaft, the R88 will be capable of transporting an internal payload of more than 1,270kg (2,800lb) on missions of up to 350nm (650km) range.

Smith – who was only appointed to the company’s top spot in March last year – says the design and performance of the R88 have been driven by customer feedback.

“They gave us a great list of things to do, not just to respond to current problems but also presenting a vision of the future.”

Operators, he says, offered a “lot of great requirements” which “turned into the basis of the programme”.

Key demands included supportability, plus high levels of parts availability. That, Smith says, plays into Robinson’s strategy of vertical integration: “Customers don’t want to deal with multiple tiers of suppliers.”

Additionally, operators requested federated rather than integrated avionics – in this case Garmin’s G500H TXi suite - for simplicity and ease of upgrade. Touchscreen controls and a four-axis autopilot come as standard.

Further driving cost predictability, the Safran powerplant is supplied with a support package called Serenity which covers events such as unscheduled removals for five years or 2,000 flight hours.

This will ensure the initial period of operation is “predictable and trouble-free”, says Smith; the 2W variant of Safran’s long-running powerplant builds on the heritage of the Arriel 2D - “one of the best engines ever built”, he adds.

The all-metal R88 will also retain Robinson’s traditional two-blade main and tail rotors. “We love a two-bladed system,” says Smith, noting that company founder Frank Robison “designed the best two-bladed system that ever existed”.

It is “affordable, simple and robust”, he says, and avoids potential ground resonance issues from adding more blades. However, some changes to the tip shape are contemplated to improve the R88’s noise profile.

Elements of the classic Robinson shape are still visible in the R88, particularly the squared off rear of the cabin, although a change in the way the engine is mounted sees the addition of extra fairings and cowlings, raising the helicopter’s roofline and slightly obscuring the distinctive high rotor mast seen on its other models.

Other features include dual cyclic controls with removable controls on both sides, allowing the pilot-in-command to be in either the left or right seat with a passenger in the other. The R88 will also be certified for single-pilot instrument flight rules operations.

Eight passengers can be accommodated in the R88, plus two pilots, against four in the R66. While Smith is not yet ready to reveal the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the the new model he says it will be in “the high 5,000lb-low 6,000lb range” – suggesting something around 26-2.8t, a substantial step up from the R66’s 1.25t.

Besides, he says, Robinsons have the “lowest empty weight fraction” in the industry.

The R88’s closest competitor appears to be the 2.8t Leonardo Helicopters AW09, which boasts similar payload characteristics and is powered by another Arriel variant, the 1,000shp 2K. However, its five-blade main rotor, shrouded tail rotor and extensive use of composite material add a level of complexity and cost.

Meanwhile, the segment’s best-seller, the Arriel 2D-equipped Airbus Helicopters H125, has a lower MTOW of just over 2.3t and a smaller cabin.

Proposed missions for the R88 include aerial firefighting, medical services, utility work, and passenger transport. High and low skid gear options are available, the former to better enanble firefighting configurations.

Robinson has not yet disclosed a target for the R88’s certification or service entry but Smith says the airframer’s ambition is that “by the end of the decade this product will be all over the world”.

Smith says there is a “very high priority to get to flight - it is certainly something we would expect to happen in the early part of next year.” However, that timeline could accelerate slightly: “I’m pressing the team to find way to do it earlier. Getting to flight is an important milestone – there are so many lessons you learn when you fly.”

While the manufacturer does not use the typical preliminary and critical design review (PDR/CDR) process, Smith says as of early March it had effectively passed the PDR milestone for all subsystems.

“We are a lot further along than would be considered a PDR but we are not quite at CDR,” he adds, with components and assemblies already being manufactured.

Smith sees the market capable of supporting more than 100 deliveries per year, contributing to a total annual output goal of over 1,000 helicopters annually, including the R22, R44 and R66 models, from its Torrance, California factory.

Last year, Robinson delivered a total of 295 helicopters, according to data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

“For every product we build, the target is to build more than 100 per year. We have a good opportunity to execute to the typical standard of 100 aircraft. That would be a really great experience,” Smith says.

To support the production ramp-up, Robinson will free up space by moving material currently stored at Torrance to an off-site location. The number of work shifts may also be increased, Smith says.

Initial feedback on the R88 from Federal Aviation Administration has been positive: “They are pleased that it is not requiring rule-making or any complexity in the regulatory space.”

While that seems a fairly obvious jibe at the advanced air mobility industry – Smith is a frequent and vocal critic on social media – one of his contentions has always been that a high-tech helicopter, featuring advanced automation and some level of electrification, obviates the need for such aircraft.

However, the R88 is conspicuously free of such features. Smith says a “pragmatic” approach to customer requirements led to the conclusion that the “maturity is not at the right level yet”.

Operators are demanding solutions in the short-term and cannot wait for “one full generation of product for those to be incorporated”.

Nonetheless, Robinson is “absolutely going to be a leader in advanced technology in the future”, he insists.

Although the R88 is the first product to be launched under Smith’s stewardship, he is at pains to point out that the initial layouts for a smaller variant – albeit still bigger than the R66 – were started two or three years before he joined, under the leadership of predecessor Kurt Robinson.