Turbomeca is preparing for the first flight of the 1,100- to 1,300-shp Arrano 1A on the Airbus Helicopters H160 medium twin and the certification of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X's Arrius 2R (504 shp).

Two Arrano turboshafts were delivered in April to Airbus Helicopters for use on the H160's dynamic helicopter zero, an integration testbed built at the airframer's Marignane, France headquarters. The first two flightworthy engines are expected to be delivered by the end of this week, Turbomeca executive vice president of programs Cyrille Poetsch told AIN.

The first Turbomeca Arrano-powered H160 is slated to fly by year-end. Meanwhile, the first prototype, which has been flying with slightly less powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210Es during the initial part of the flight tests, will be retrofitted with Arranos next year. Ten Arrano engines will be delivered to Airbus Helicopters for testing purposes.

Turbomeca will use another 10 engines for certification, including one that is being put thorugh its paces in an altitude-simulation facility in Saclay, near Paris. So far, testing allows Turbomeca to confirm the specific fuel consumption (sfc) will be 15-percent lower than that of a comparable, previous-generation Arriel. In maintenance, Poetsch said the Arrano’s manual will require 10- to 15-times fewer tasks.

Meanwhile, certification of the Arrius 2R is expected in December. Poetsch expressed confidence in this timeline, as the final paperwork phase is under way and the technology is well mastered. The core engine is the same as that of the Arrius 2F and the Fadec is derived from the Arriel 2D's; only the gearbox was newly designed for the Arrius 2R. “It will take just 30 months between contract signing and certification,” Poetsch emphasized.

Two Jet Ranger X prototypes are flying with the -2R turboshaft engines. Bell has scheduled the entry into service for the first half of next year, with a swift production ramp-up. Turbomeca is thus planning on 15 turboshaft deliveries this year, about 50 in 2016 and gradually increasing to 200 in 2018. The airframer and the engine maker are working on an integrated service network with combined by-the-hour offerings, Poetsch noted.

AC352 Being Prepped for Flight

In China, the first prototype of the Turbomeca Ardiden 3C-powered Avicopter AC352 was unveiled last month and is being prepped for first flight. The AC352 is the counterpart of the Pratt & Whitney Canada-powered H175, in the joint Airbus Helicopters-Avicopter program.

Turbomeca has delivered two “flightworthy-intent” Ardiden 3Cs, though the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has to approve them before they are officially considered flightworthy. The nod is hoped for in November. “It is the first time the CAAC is going to directly certify a Western engine,” Poetsch noted.

The 1,800-shp Ardiden 3C is known as the WZ-16 in the country, as it will be produced on a 50-50 basis by Turbomeca and Avic Engine Dongan. The French company is in charge of the hot section and its Chinese counterpart is responsible for the cold section. Avicopter's target to fly the AC352 prototype by year-end is deemed “ambitious, but attainable,” said Poetsch.

The Tech 3000 demonstrator program, devised to prepare a next-generation 2,000- to 3,000-shp turboshaft for heavy helicopters, will see the first full engine running next year. Partial tests have begun on the compressor, combustor and turbines separately. “We want a 3,200-shp engine to be as compact as the 2,500-shp RTM 322,” Poetsch said. He also predicted a small improvement—a few percent—in sfc.

Turbomeca lost out to Pratt & Whitney Canada when Airbus Helicopters issued a tender for a “single-engine operations” (SEO) architecture on the Bluecopter twin-engine demonstrator. Nevertheless, it is studying a “sleep mode” for a turboshaft. On a twin, the idea is to have one engine running close it its highest power available while the other one is “sleeping.” The resulting fuel burn would be 20- to 25-percent better than that obtained with two engines running at mid-power in cruise, according to Poetsch. However, he would not clarify whether the “sleep mode” means idle, shutdown or somewhere between the two.

Turbomeca has run a 2,500-shp-class engine on a testbed since June, demonstrating a “sleeping” engine can be “rapidly reactivated using an innovative electric system.”