Australia and South Korea set up new aviation commands
Two new rotorcraft aviation units or commands have been set up at opposite ends of the Asia-Pacific region.
First Arriel 2E assembled in Texas
The Arriel 2D was certified in May 2011, it powers the Airbus H125 and H130. (Image: Safran Helicopter Systems)
The first Arriel 2E engine assembled in Texas has been delivered to Airbus.
Safran Helicopter Engines has assembled, tested and delivered the first Arriel 2E engines produced in Texas to Airbus.
Until now, the Arriel 2E was produced in France. However, Safran Engines has now opened a second assembly line at their facility in Grand Prairie Texas for the engine.
The Arriel family of engines are installed on a range of aircraft, for example, the 2D is installed on the Airbus H125 and the 1E2 is installed on the UH-72A Lakota.
There are currently over 3,000 engines in service with US branches, the US army is a major operator with over 900 engines in its Lakota fleet, while the US Coast Guard fleet of Airbus MH-65 Dolphins are also powered by the Arriel.
The Arriel 2E is one of the latest variants, having been certified in December 2012 and in service since August 2014.
It offers 20% more power than the current Arriel 1E2 in the EC145.
Arriel engines are the bestselling helicopter engines in its class, with over 12,000 engines produced and 50 million flight hours.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Arriel 2E is capable of a cruising power of 828shp and maximum power, via the OEI rating, of 1,072shp.
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