Airbus Helicopters and Safran roll out major competitiveness boost to H125 and H130

The two main improvements provided by Safran are the extension of 25 % of the time between overhaul (TBO) to 5,000 hours for new and in-service helicopters, and the new three year/ 2,000 hours warranty conditions – replacing the previous two year/1,000 hours warranty – for all H125 and H130 helicopters delivered in 2018.

“Safran continuously works to make its engines more robust and easy-to-use”, says Nicolas Billecocq, Safran Helicopter Engines’ vice president of the Light Helicopter Engines Program. “Extensive endurance tests conducted on the Arriel 2D and analysis of engine fleet data have enabled us to further validate the engine’s strength and simplicity. Thanks to these new improvements, the Arriel 2D will feature one of the lowest direct maintenance costs of its class.”

“Improving customer satisfaction and the competitiveness of our products is one of our top priorities at Airbus Helicopters. These engine durability enhancements are a clear illustration of our efforts in this direction,” said Axel Aloccio, Head of the Light Helicopter Programme at Airbus Helicopters. “The TBO and warranty extension are very concrete improvements for H125 and H130 operators around the world: those two types keep offering the best value for money

” H125 and H130 customers will also benefit from the removal of the calendar limitation, which until now required an engine inspection at a repair centre every 15 years, regardless of the number of hours logged. The robustness of the Arriel 2D eliminates the need for a calendar limit on modules 1, 2, 4 and 5, while for module 3, the engine’s condition can be restored during a periodic visit performed at a maintenance centre.