Turbomeca is feeling the effects of the helicopter industry’s downturn but is pressing on with the development of several new engine versions. Some programs, however, have been delayed or even shelved. For the longer term, the Bordes, France-based company is working on a 2,000- to 3,000-shp demonstrator and is conducting research on innovative ways to cut fuel burn.
Last year Turbomeca (Booth 10543) delivered 718 helicopter engines, a 15-percent reduction from the previous year’s 850 engines (these numbers include civil and military turboshafts). “The entire rotorcraft industry is impacted by a downturn; offshore oil-and-gas sales account for 20 percent of the market but are a major factor in its health,” CEO Bruno Even told AIN. Latin America is generating fewer orders than it used to (for all applications, not only oil-and-gas). In the U.S., Even sees overcapacity in the helicopter EMS segment, which is causing stagnation.
Overall, the Safran group company’s turboshaft deliveries are expected to be steady this year, compared to 2015.
Turbomeca has a number of programs in development. The Arrano 1A has been flying on the Airbus Helicopters second prototype H160 at the airframer’s headquarters in Marignane, France. The first flight took place in January. “We are hearing very good feedback,” Even said.
The Arrius 2R was certified in December 2015. Turbomeca has begun delivering production-standard engines to Bell, and the Arrius 2R is slated to enter into service on the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X in the coming months.
A pair of 1,800-shp Turbomeca/Avic Engine Ardiden 3C/WZ16s will power the AC352, in lieu of the H175’s Pratt & Whitney Canada turboshafts. Late in 2015, it emerged that a modified H175 is being used in France as a test bed for the Ardiden 3C. Neither Airbus nor Turbomeca would confirm this, but AIN understands that the tests had been planned for a long time.
Even expects the AC352 to fly, in China, by this summer. Asked whether he is worrying about the protracted program, Even said that developing a helicopter and an engine with Chinese partners normally takes more time. The way the program is proceeding, “looks consistent with what is at stake on this market, being positioned in China with Chinese partners,” he said.
The long-delayed Russian Helicopters Ka-62 program uses Ardiden 3Gs. The first aircraft, for which Turbomeca has delivered flightworthy engines, is now hoped to fly by this summer.
The Makila 2B program has been shelved. Airbus Helicopters eventually choose (in agreement with Turbomeca, according to Even) to keep the 2,100-shp Makila 2A1 on the upgraded H225 heavy twin. The Makila 2B has no other application but its development could be resumed, if needed, or the work could be reused elsewhere.
The 2B was to offer a new combustor design for increased temperature. The high-pressure turbine blades were thus to be made of a new material. Separately, the compressor would be better protected against erosion, and this particular improvement was to be retrofittable. Overall, the 2B was targeting improved performance in one-engine-inoperative and hot-and-high conditions.
The Tech 3000 demonstrator program, devised to prepare a next-generation 2,000- to 3,000-shp turboshaft for heavy helicopters, is slipping to the right. Component testing took place in 2015. But the first full engine is not expected to run until this year or early next year. “There will be an upturn in the offshore oil-and-gas market in the mid- to long-term,” Even predicted.
In the longer term, Turbomeca is still studying hybrid architectures to cut fuel burn on a twin-engine installation. One engine may be shut down in cruise, allowing the other one to run at a higher rpm, much closer to its best efficiency. The shut-down engine would be restarted in case of a problem with the running engine. On a testbed, Turbomeca has trialed a quick-restart process, Even said.