Bordes, France (16 December, 2015) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and Turbomeca (Safran, Euronext Paris : SAF), are delighted to announce that Turbomeca has received EASA engine type certification for its Arrius 2R engine, that powers the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.

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.”

“Arrius 2R is already a great success” said Jean-François Sauer, Vice President for Arriel & Arrius Programs. “Fifteen production engines have been shipped from our Grand Prairie, Texas, to the Bell Helicopter Lafayette facility in Louisiana; again all of them on time. We are confident we will meet the delivery schedule requirements and maximum production rate to meet customer needs. In parallel, we have designed an impressive Entry-into-Service plan that will meet worldwide operators’ high levels of expectation.”

Officially launched at the 2013 Paris Air Show alongside the Bell 505, the Arrius 2R has followed a fast development schedule. During a rigorous evaluation campaign, starting in April 2014 with its first ground run, the engine has logged more than 2,500 ground test hours. The flight test campaign started in November 2014 with the Bell 505’s first flight at Bell’s Mirabel facility in Canada.

In August 2015, Turbomeca delivered the first production engine to the new Bell 505 assembly center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Arrius 2R is designed to deliver performance and power within the 500 shp range, while improving safety and lowering pilot workload via the dual-channel FADEC. It is the only turbine in the power range with this feature. With the proven Arrius 2F at its core, the twin-module configuration offers low maintenance and operating costs.

Reliability comes as standard and is reinforced by a 3,000 hour Time-Between-Overhaul offered at service entry. The new variant will also benefit from Turbomeca’s renowned service and support capabilities.

To date, more than 3,000 Arrius engines have been sold by Turbomeca, to 430 customers in 60 countries.

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X™ is backed by Bell Helicopter’s renowned customer service support, voted #1 by customers for 21 years running; the company was also recently voted ‘best in the business’ in Vertical Magazine’s Helicopter Manufacturers Survey.

For more information about specific models and pricing options, please visit www.bell505.com.

Source: Bell Helicopters