EASA Certifies Turbomeca Engine in Bell 505

Turbomeca has received EASA type certification for its Arrius 2R engine with fadec that powers the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.

Officially launched at the 2013 Paris Air Show alongside the Bell 505, the Arrius 2R has followed a brisk development schedule. Since the first ground run in April 2014, the engine has logged more than 2,500 ground test hours. The flight test campaign started in November 2014 with the Bell 505’s first flight at Bell’s Mirabel facility in Canada. In August 2015 Turbomeca delivered the first production engine to the new Bell 505 assembly center in Lafayette, La.

The Arrius 2R is designed to deliver performance in the 500-shp range, while improving safety and lowering pilot workload via the dual-channel fadec, the only turbine in the power range with this feature. The 2R uses the core of the proven Arrius 2F, a twin-module configuration touted for low maintenance and operating costs. To date, Turbomeca has sold more than 3,000 Arrius engines to 430 customers in 60 countries. The 2R will have a 3,000 hour time-between-overhaul offered at entry into service.