Turbomeca Safran chairman and CEO Olivier Andriès employed a team of limber acrobats Tuesday afternoon to lend a dash of showbiz to the introduction of its new Arrano 1,100-shp turboshaft engine, designed to power the next generation of four- to six-ton helicopters.

Arrano is Basque for “eagle” and, like Turbomeca’s other engine offerings, represents a symbolic link to the Pyrenees mountains near the company’s headquarters in Bordes, France. The new engine was announced in July 2012 as the TM800 and is expected to yield a 10- to 15-percent reduction in fuel consumption, as well as improved range and payload and a reduced carbon footprint. A replica of the new engine is displayed at Turbomeca’s booth (No. C3901) at Heli-Expo ’13.

The Arrano is slated to power Eurocopter’s X4 next-generation medium-twin helicopter, with certification anticipated to coincide with the X4’s entry into service. An Arrano development prototype recently completed its first test-bench run, Andriès said, with the first full test phase expected to begin in 2014.

The Arrano represents “the fruit of our determination to design ever-more competitive engines with ever-higher performance, together with value-added services,” according to Andriès.