Turbomeca and Bell Helicopter have announced that the Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine has received EASA engine type certification to power 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 an unmatched high level of maturity at entry-into-service. The Bell 505 is the first production Bell Helicopter to incorporate a Turbomeca engine.
Launched at the 2013 International Paris Air Show alongside the Bell 505, the Arrius 2R has had a fast development schedule. An evaluation campaign started in April 2014 with its first ground run; the flight test campaign started in November 2014 with the Bell 505’s first flight at Bell’s Mirabel facility in Canada; and in August 2015, Turbomeca delivered the first production engine to the new Bell 505 assembly center in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.
The Arrius 2R is designed to deliver performance and power within the 500shp range, while improving safety and lowering pilot workload via the dual-channel FADEC (full authority digital engine control). It is the only turbine in this power range with this feature.
December 18, 2015
