Bell 505 Jet Ranger X

Turbomeca has handed over the first Arrius 2R engine to Bell Helicopter at the new Bell 505 assembly centre in Lafayette, Louisiana, US.

The engine will be installed on the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter.

Said to be the only turbine in the 500 shp range, the Arrius 2R features a dual-channel FADEC to deliver performance and power while improving safety and lowering pilot workload.

The twin-module configuration of the engine will provide low maintenance and operating costs, Turbomeca said.

Turbomeca Arrius 2R programme vice-president Jean-François Sauer said: "We are perfectly on track to meet Bell Helicopter’s expectations, and moving at a steady pace towards EASA engine certification by the end of 2015.

"We are perfectly on track to meet Bell Helicopter’s expectations, and moving at a steady pace towards EASA engine certification."

"Delivering on the Arrius 2R programme is among Turbomeca’s top priorities."

The company assembles Arrius 2R at its facility in Dallas, Texas and integrates the engine at its Lafayette plant in Louisiana.

Launched in 2013, the Arrius 2R completed first ground run at the company’s Bordes factory in April last year, and a first flight aboard the Bell 505 at Bell Helicopter’s Mirabel facility.

The Arrius variants have so far logged seven million flight hours.

Turbomeca has sold more than 3,000 Arrius engines to 430 customers in 60 countries worldwide. The company has signed over 350 letters of intent to supply the engine for Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.


Image: Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter during first flight. Photo: courtesy of Bell Helicopter / Business Wire.