Eagle Copters expects to make initial deliveries of its re-engined 407HP in early summer, after securing supplemental type certificates from the FAA and Transport Canada in late 2014. The Canadian company has orders for three of the upgraded Bell 407s.

The 407HP is powered by Honeywell’s 1,021-shp HTS900-2-1D turboshaft, which replaces the original 813-shp Rolls-Royce 250-C47. Equipped with a dual-channel Fadec, the new powerplant delivers up to 22 percent more takeoff power and significantly improved hot-and-high performance as well as improved payload, speed and operating costs.

The upgrade provides a 19 percent increase in gross weight capability at 10,000 feet, and a 40 percent increase in payload at 12,000 feet. Fuel burn is reduced by up to 17 percent and direct maintenance costs should amount to around 12 percent less than those for the original 407 model. Specific fuel consumption at takeoff is reduced by 8 percent and by 10 percent at max cruise speeds.

The HTS900 engine was initially developed for Bell’s 417 and ARH-70 programs, which were cancelled, respectively, in 2007 and 2008. Honeywell based it on a new dual-centrifugal compressor architecture, which allows for higher power output with lower fuel consumption. According to Doug Kult, the engine maker’s product management director, maintenance requirements have been significantly eased by reducing the number of mechanical parts. For instance, the use of a ported shroud avoids the need for a surge line. The use of cooled single-crystal blades means that operators can get 15,000 cycles from this part.

Eagle Copters sales and marketing vice president David Whiting told AIN that while hot-and-high applications are where the new engine “really shines,” he has been pleasantly surprised at the interest shown in the 407HP by operators largely working at sea level. Now that the upgrade has an STC, Whiting anticipates an uptick in sales. “When you are actually flying, it [the performance improvement] becomes very real and you can demonstrate it,” he said. “Now the industry will know what we know.”

The 407HP conversion kit costs $795,000, not including labor. Eagle Copters, which performs the upgrades at its Calgary, Alberta facility, estimates that the work takes around 1,000 man hours.

In some cases the upgrade will use 407 airframes provided by customers, but Eagle Copters will also locate an airframe to be upgraded. The company is offering a trade-in discount for existing C-47 engines. Currently, there are approximately 1,200 Bell 407s in service worldwide.

Eagle Copters, which is a Bell Platinum customer service provider, is aiming to convince the airframer to make the re-engining an option for the 407GX model. The company also has facilities in Chile and Australia and could handle upgrade work if there is sufficient demand from operators in those regions.

Customers can opt to have the conversion kit shipped to qualified maintenance shops of their choosing. The conversion requires minor changes in engine monitoring instruments.

Separately, Marenco Swisshelicopter is continuing the development of its new SKYe SH09 single, which also is powered by the HTS900-2 engine. The Swiss company says it now has orders for more than 50 aircraft and aims to start production by early 2016.