By Douglas Royce, Forecast International
Airbus Helicopters has decided to make Turbomeca’s Arrano turboshaft the exclusive engine for its new twin-engine X4 helicopter, currently in development in France to replace the company’s popular EC 155/Dauphin model.
The Arrano is a new design in the 1,100- to 1,300-shp class. Turbomeca says the Arrano will offer a 10 to 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption compared with previous-generation engines. First bench testing of the Arrano took place in February 2014, and Turbomeca says that type certification for the engine will track the schedule of the X4 test program.
Airbus Helicopters once planned to offer two engines on the X4. The alternative engine, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW210, has been dropped because it is no longer considered powerful enough in the wake of design changes to the aircraft.
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