and a ceiling of 11,000 feet. Power will operations training or limited amphibious come from a Fadec Turbomeca Arrius use. The base price for the Robinson R66 2R (rated at 450 to 550 shp), and Turbine Marine is $875,000. Garmin will provide the G1000H glass- NEW Scott’s-, Model 47GT-6 panel . The 505 also features a fully flat-floor cabin and rear clamshell Scott’s acquired the Model 47 type cer- loading doors for cargo or medevac. Bell tificate from Bell in 2009 and announced is adapting proven drivetrain elements its intention to put the iconic ship back from the 206L4 LongRanger to contain into new production with a Rolls-Royce costs. The 505 will be certified initially RR300 engine in 2013. It took delivery of ROTORCRSPECIALA REPORTFT Enstrom 480B-G by Transport Canada, and production its first test engine last year and expects to models will then be built at a new Bell make deliveries of the new, $820,000 Model facility in Lafayette, La. 47-GT6 next year at an eventual produc- A price has not yet been set, but Bell tion rate of two per month. The GT6 will be CEO John Garrison told AIN last year based on the 47G-3B-2A widebody design that hitting near a $1 million price was (3,200-pound max gross weight with exter- viewed as critical to the 505’s market suc- nal load, 1,400-pound internal useful load, cess and achieving that number hinged and external load 1,650 pounds). It features on Bell’s success in applying cost pres- a host of modern upgrades beyond the sure on its suppliers. “We’re using suppli- Rolls-Royce engine (300 shp for five min- ers’ capabilities to get to the price point. utes, 240 shp maximum continuous) that The 505 is designed to cost this much. will enable the to hover in and The price elasticity is very clear,” he said. out of ground effect at better than 12,000 feet at 2,750 pounds on a standard day Enstrom 480B-G and post direct operating costs of less than Piston Singles R44 and the Sikorsky 300C, with a deliv- Enstrom’s 480B five-seat light tur- $400 per hour. The civil market continues to slow, ered price in the range of $400,000. bine single is now available with Garmin The GT6 is being fitted with an G1000H glass-panel avionics. The basic upgraded interior, LED lighting, new com- Marenco Swisshelicopter SKYe SH09 Enstrom TH180 Turbine Singles price for the 480B-G this year will be posite main rotor blades and a new drive- but OEMs look to the future Enstrom planned to fly its new two- $1.415 million. The 480B-G was certified train. The GT6 will feature Sagem digital seat piston-powered trainer last month. in July last year and the first customer avionics glass panel displays, including pri- by Thierry Dubois and Mark Huber The company is using the com- Bell announced its five-seat Short delivery was made in October 2014. The mary flight display (PFD) and engine mon- mon type certificate held by all its other Light Single (SLS) at the 2013 Paris G1000H system in the 480B features a itoring system, split map/engine screen models to speed the TH180’s develop- Air Show and later christened it the stacked configuration that mimics the mode, display of an externally mounted n early January oil traded below $50 per Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) ment. Powered by the naturally aspirated 505 Jet Ranger X. The first aircraft’s original instrument panel and camera, and VGA inputs and custom user barrel for the first time since 2009 and the for the first nine months of 2014 were down Lycoming IO-390, the two-seat TH180 is flew on November 14 last year and has allows the display screens to be equally databases such as display points for the I U.S. dollar was wiping the floor with most 32.4 percent compared with the same period expected to be able to use unleaded avi- already logged substantial orders; cer- accessible from both pilot positions. moving map. The system will feature back- of the competitive currencies around the globe. a year earlier. “It was brutal all over,” one OEM ation fuels–when they are approved for tification is expected late this year or up flight instruments and will also function Marenco Swisshelicopter Just one month earlier, most industry analysts spokesman said of 2014 sales. Perhaps more the engine–and deliver relatively lower early next. as an engine indication and crew alerting SKYe SH09 were putting a brave face on all of this rela- interesting is to see what is selling the best direct operating costs on fuel burns of Performance goals for the 505 include system (Eicas) with a multifunction display tive to its impact on the world civil helicopter in this down market: legacy products. AW’s less than 12 gallons per hour. The TH180 a speed of 125 knots, a range of 360 to The Marenco Swisshelicopter SKYe (MFD) for items such as pilot checklists. A market, while the OEMs themselves remained best-seller remains the AW139 medium twin; is designed to compete with the Robinson 420 nm, a useful load of 1,500 pounds SH09 performed its first two flights– variety of options will be available, among sanguine or speechless or a little of both. The at Airbus it’s the AS350B3e and EC130 sin- in hover mode and totaling less than them interfaces to GPS and transponders. euphoria surrounding the new helicopter mar- gles and the EC135 light twin; at Bell it’s the 40 minutes–in the fourth quarter of Scott’s is offering three levels of war- 2014. In Molis, Switzerland, the start- ranty for the 47GT6: two years/2,000 Robinson R66 Turbine Marine ket a year ago has degraded to nervous opti- 407 heavy single and 429 light twin. Industry up company has slated EASA certifi- hours, pro-rated after the first 200 hours; mism amidst the discovery of coughing billings for the first nine months of last year cation of its Honeywell-powered single two years/1,000 hours, non-prorated; and canaries in the coal mine. The party might dropped more than 20 percent compared with for late this year. With a 5,842-pound three years/500 hours, non-prorated. The not be over, but the attendees are nursing the same period in 2013, according to GAMA. mtow, it is designed to carry one pilot warranty on spare parts will be for one their cocktails and speaking more softly. And And it could be worse if not for a combination and seven passengers, which positions year/1,000 hours, pro-rated after the first nobody is dancing. of some heavy discounting and cost containment it at the higher end of the single-engine 200 hours. About the time helicopter lessor Mile- going on, reflected in lower margins at both Air- helicopter market. Marenco says it has stone Aviation was being acquired by Gecas bus and United Technologies’ (UTC) Sikorsky, received orders for more than 50 copies Twins last October, Bell was acknowledging that the with the former posting a thin profit margin of of the SKYe since its unveiling in 2011. first flight of its new super-medium 525 twin just 6.4 percent, down half a point from 2013. At the time, the first flight was pegged Airbus would be delayed into 2015. Meanwhile, much The latter’s margins have dipped below 10 per- for 2012. The composite construction EC135 T3/P3 of the number-crunching related to the cent for the first time in recent memory, rekin- enables, for a given weight, a higher The first Airbus Helicopters assumed price of oil is out the window, as could dling speculation that UTC is getting ready to cut level of performance and a greater 6,560-pound-mtow EC135T3 light twin be the helicopter services demand forecasts it loose. New UTC CEO Greg Hayes gave stock Enstrom TH180 cabin volume, according to Marenco. was delivered to Italy-based Aiut Alpin Scott’s Bell 47GT-6 by the offshore energy industry. Fortunately, analysts a mixed message in December, telling The SH09’s list price is $3 million, Dolomites shortly after EASA certifica- many new deep-water projects are still profit- them, “We’re not going to sell Sikorsky…but the which includes basic avionics and two tion, in October. What looks, technically, able at $50 per barrel, but not much less than fact is, we’re going to take a hard look at the port- sliding doors. Preliminary data indicate like a minor set of modifications yields a that. Unfortunately, a good bit of that activity is folio [of UTC companies] and do what’s right.” 140 knots high cruise speed, 430 nm major boost in performance, especially in off the Brazilian coast and controlled by major- For Sikorsky and for other OEMs, “doing range and five hours endurance. critical conditions. As a result, mountain ity state-owned Petrobras, already the world’s what’s right” in the short-term for the civil mar- operators can expect a valuable reserve Robinson R66 Turbine Marine most indebted oil company ($139 billion) and ket could involve lowering expectations, slow- of power when at altitude with a full currently mired in a multibillion-dollar corrup- ing new programs in progress, shelving more Robinson Helicopter is making its team of rescuers and one or two victims. tion scandal. Petrobras’s murky finances could long-term ambitions until the world energy R66 turbine single available with pop-out The Turbomeca Arrius 2B2 Plus features floats similar to those on the piston-pow- new Fadec software and new air intakes limit its access to needed global capital for fur- demand and markets stabilize and/or recover, ered R44 Clipper. The floats add approxi- that reduce so-called installation losses. ther exploration, while it continues to struggle taking on more partners and even looking at mately 65 pounds to the helicopter’s empty The main rotor blades have been length- to meet production targets. consolidation down the road. Meanwhile, do weight, are activated by a lever on the ened by four inches and the Overall, recent sales numbers already are not be surprised if some schedule adjustments pilot’s collective, inflate within two to three has been shrunk. All this boosts the pay- declining. New civil helicopter sales collec- are announced before or at Heli-Expo in March seconds, and allow a swift water landing if load by 440 pounds in hot-and-high con- tively attributed to AgustaWestland, Airbus, as eroding oil prices send a chill through the necessary. The R66 Turbine Marine is also ditions. The EC135P3, powered by Pratt Bell, Enstrom and Robinson by the General new helicopter market. approved for water takeoffs at reduced & Whitney Canada PW206B3s, is slated DUBOIS THIERRY Airbus Helicopters EC135T3/P3 Bell 505 Jet Ranger X operating weights, allowing for water Continues on next page u © 2015 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to www.ainonline.com BARRY AMBROSE BARRY © 2015 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to www.ainonline.com

52 Aviation International News • February 2015 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • February 2015 • Aviation International News 53 oil-and-gas support operations. manufactured at the company’s NEW The enhanced, 8,047-pound- facility in Yeovil, UK. Approxi- mtow EC145 features a mately 30 percent of all orders to uContinued from preceding page shrouded Fenestron tail rotor, date are from North and South improved engines and new America. for certification in this year’s first avionics. The Helionix suite The AW169 is intended to quarter. Retrofits are offered for also equips the recently certi- compete with the S-76D and Bell 429WLG in-service EC135P2/T2s. fied EC175 and the four-axis uses a variant of the same Pratt is included as stan- & Whitney Canada Fadec- Avicopter AC3X2 dard. The Turbomeca Arriel 2E controlled PW210-series engines At the Zhuhai airshow, Avi- is more powerful, at (1,000 shp each) that power the copter exhibited a full-size 894 shp, and has Fadec. Sikorsky. The AW169 features mockup of a new helicopter, a Rockwell Collins large three- the AC3X2, targeted at EMS, screen glass-panel avionics system law enforcement and offshore Ka-226T that includes dual FMS; a 222- oil-and-gas operations. The air- Russian Helicopters did not cu-ft flat-floor cabin; a 45-cu-ft craft is understood to be at the answer AIN’s repeated requests baggage hold; and low noise sig- detailed design stage. for an update. The certification nature. It is expected to offer good The manufacturer is con- schedule has moved many times high/hot performance. The cabin sidering applying for FAA cer- over the years and the status of is large enough to accommo- tification since it believes the the program is thus uncertain. date transverse-loaded stretchers. AC3X2 may have a competitive Last year Russian Helicopters AgustaWestland plans to offer edge in price on the global mar- said it is reassessing four pro- military, search-and-rescue, EMS, ket. The intellectual property grams, including this 7,900- offshore and corporate variants. behind the helicopter is entirely pound light twin. domestic, a company represen- Airbus Helicopters AS365N3e tative emphasized. Russian Helicopters Ansat In a surprise move, Air- In December Russian Heli- bus Helicopters terminated the Airbus Helicopters EC145T2 Bell 429WLG j a ck sy k es copters announced that its 10,000-pound-class AS365N3e (wheeled ) redeveloped Ansat light twin upgrade program for the Dau- Bell received certification for received Russian certification phin last year. “We’d rather focus the retractable wheeled land- for passenger transport opera- on short delivery lead times ing gear variant of its 429 light tions, although it was previously and competitive prices for the twin last year. The WLG option understood that the 2013 cer- AS365N3+ and EC155B1–the adds 250 pounds and nearly tification already included this current Dauphin models–and $400,000 to the price of a new capability. The Ansat passen- the development of the X4,” a 429 but gives the helicopter a ger variant has an upgraded sta- spokesperson told AIN. A pro- five-knot speed advantage over bility augmentation system. As tracted program, the N3e was a 429 with skids. Bell expects certified earlier, it uses conven- to be certified by year-end, an the wheeled variant to boost the tional flight controls in lieu of Airbus Helicopters official had type’s appeal to corporate and the original fly-by-wire controls. said in January 2014. Demon- private customers who need to The 7,900-pound-mtow helicop- stration flights with prospec- taxi or maneuver in tight spaces ter is powered by two Pratt & tive customers had begun. on the ground. Whitney Canada PW207Ks and The medium twin was to get Bell expects the wheeled vari- can carry eight passengers at a an upgraded rotor head and ant to boost the type’s appeal to cruise speed of 119 knots. reinforced main gearbox, cut- corporate and private customers ting direct maintenance costs Russian Helicopters Ka-226T who need to taxi or maneuver in AgustaWestland AW169 by 10 percent and helping with tight spaces on the ground. AgustaWestland announced handling the increased power the 4.5-ton-class AW169 medium from the Turbomeca Arriel Airbus Helicopters EC145T2 twin in 2010. Designed for single- 2Ns. Airbus is carrying on with Airbus Helicopters on July pilot IFR operations, the eight- the military version, the AS565 31 delivered the first EC145T2 to 10-passenger helicopter first MBe Panther, the first delivery light twin to air rescue oper- flew in May 2012 and is slated of which is planned for 2017. ator DRF Luftrettung at the for certification later this year. manufacturer’s factory in AgustaWestland holds orders for Airbus Helicopters X4 Donauwörth, Germany. Air- more than 100 copies of the $10- In December the X4 proto- bus Helicopters says it has to $12 million AW169 and antic- type achieved “power on,” which orders for more than 100 cop- ipates a market for 1,000 over involved a number of systems but ies of the upgraded version of the next 20 years. The helicopter not the engines. Speaking at an AgustaWestland AW169 the EC145. will be produced at AgustaWest- investor forum in London, CEO The helicopter has been well land’s main plant in Vergiate Guillaume Faury also confirmed received for police, corporate and at AgustaWestland Phila- the Dauphin successor will be transportation and offshore delphia, with major components unveiled at Heli-Expo next month and fly this year. The X4, destined to replace the AS365/EC155 Dauphin series, will compete in the 9,000- to 12,000-pound category. It will feature fly-by-wire controls and the house-developed Helionix avionics suite (in service on other types), rather than the previously envisioned, radically new man-

VLADIMIR K ARNOZOV machine interface. Customers will choose between two 1,100-shp Russian Helicopters Ansat Russian Helicopters Ka-62 Continues on page 56 u © 2015 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to www.ainonline.com

54 Aviation International News • February 2015 • www.ainonline.com is seen as a gap filler between (awareness, reactive and control) NEW the AS365/EC155 Dauphin and Horizon cockpit. The ergonomic ROTORCRAFT Super Puma. Russian and U.S. cockpit features pilot seats that uContinued from page 54 certifications are expected early J-track, pushing back and swiv- next year. The firm order back- eling outward, for ease of egress. engine options: the Turbomeca log covers close to 40 EC175s. Right-hand, fly-by-wire sidesticks TM800 and the Pratt & Whitney The Chinese parts (, tail- replace the conventional cyclics.

Canada PW210. boom, intermediate gearbox The 525’s tailboom has been AMBROSE BARRY and tail gearbox) are now said designed to provide less resis- Bell 525 Russian Helicopters to be available on time and on tance and more lift for a higher Ka-62 specs, although some delays did hover out of ground effect alti- emanate from partner Avicop- tude than conventional designs. Russian Helicopters did not ter. Another impediment was Bell claims the boom’s aerody- answer AIN’s repeated requests the development of the house- namic shape will allow 88 more for an update. The certification designed Helionix avionics suite. horsepower to be directed to the schedule has moved many times main rotors, compared with con- over the years and the status Avicopter AC352 ventional designs, by directing of the program, which has not Avicopter is developing the downwash to provide counter- yet reached first flight, is thus AC352, the Chinese counter- torque. The five-blade main rotor uncertain. In 2014, Russian part of the Eurocopter EC175. is a commercial first for Bell, but Airbus Helicopters EC175 Helicopters said it is reassessing The two airframers have shared its design is conventional. four programs, including this the program 50-50 (see above). Entry to the 525’s 4.5-foot-tall 14,300-pound medium twin. However, the certification effort, cabin is through a pair of hinged customer support networks and doors located between the cock- AgustaWestland AW189 marketing areas are distinct. pit and the first row of four seat- AgustaWestland gained The status of the AC352 pro- ing areas or through a pair of EASA approval for its new gram is largely unknown, except large aft sliding doors. Each seat- AW189 medium twin on Feb- for the engine. The Turbomeca/ ing area offers comfortable four- ruary 7 last year; FAA approval Avic Engine Ardiden 3C/WZ16 abreast seating for a total of 16 remains pending but is expected made its first run at the French passengers or 20 in a five-abreast, shortly. More than 130 AW189s firm’s test facility in Bordes, high-density configuration. have been sold, in addition to southwest France, late in 2013. a major order announced last Chinese certification of the Airbus Helicopters EC225e month for 160 over the next 10 1,800-shp turboshaft is expected The 25,000-pound-class AgustaWestland AW189 years to Russian oil company in September. The AC352 has EC225e, an upgrade from Rosneft; those helicopters will be yet to fly and the program is the in-service EC225, is in assembled at the HeliVert joint understood to be targeting cer- the flight-test phase. Nota- venture at Tomilino, . tification in 2017. bly thanks to more powerful The AW189 is being mar- Turbomeca Makila 2Bs, the up- keted as a lower-cost alterna- graded medium twin will offer a tive to the Sikorsky S-92A and Bell announced its most ambi- 300-nm radius of action with 10 Eurocopter EC225. With 12 tious civil helicopter program at passengers. Airbus also prom- passengers, the 17,900-pound Heli-Expo 2012 and has begun ises a new cabin layout for im- (mtow) AW189 has the range assembly of the first prototype proved passenger comfort and to reach and return from energy for first flight early this year. updated avionics. platforms as far as 200 nm off- In late 2014 the company com- Certification of the EC225e shore. In high-density configu- pleted power-on testing of the is targeted for late this year, fol- ration, the AW189 can transport 525’s avionics. The 525 Relentless lowed by the first delivery in the 18 passengers. The manufac- is a 19,300-pound (max takeoff middle of next year. Lessor LCI turer is offering the AW189 in weight/7,400 pounds useful load) is a launch customer. AW609 offshore, private, maritime machine with an expected range search-and-rescue and para- of more than 500 nm (six passen- Russian Helicopters Mi-38 new category called . out of ground effect of 5,000 public variants. The AW189 is gers/two crew), a speed of bet- Russian Helicopters is pro- Two more prototypes are sched- feet, hover in ground effect of expected to be certified with a ter than 155 knots and a ceiling ceeding with the development uled to join the test fleet. AW 10,000 feet, and a useful load variety of options and kits and of 20,000 feet, aiming it squarely of the Mi-38 heavy twin, as the successfully completed autorota- of 2,500 pounds. Short-takeoff approved for single-pilot IFR. at the oil-and-gas market. How- fourth prototype has recently tion testing of the 609 last year. capability will be added to the Power comes from a pair of ever, Bell plans to offer SAR, law made its maiden flight. It differs AgustaWestland is currently pro- certification basis to increase 2,000-shp, Fadec-controlled GE enforcement, medevac, VIP and from the third prototype (which moting four interior configura- the helicopter’s maximum take- CT7-2E1 . The heli- executive variants as well. first flew in November 2013) in tions for the aircraft, including a off weight to 18,000 pounds copter has a Rockwell Collins The helicopter will be powered having a shock-resistant fuel sys- standard two-pilot, nine-passen- from 16,800 pounds. The glass-panel avionics suite that by a pair of GE CT7-2F1s (1,800 tem and larger windows. Klimov ger layout; a six- and seven-pas- extra weight could be used to is NVG-compatible, a four-axis shp each) driving an all-composite TV7-117V turboshafts–2,800 shp senger executive cabin; a two-litter boost fuel capacity and range, autopilot and optional rotor five-blade main rotor and a four- each at takeoff–power the 34,400- medevac interior; a search-and- now estimated at 700 nm. The ice-protection system. blade tail rotor. The aircraft will pound rotorcraft, which has rescue design that includes hoist, AW609 will be assembled in incorporate a triple-redundant capacity for 30 passengers. The basket, litter and four single seats; Europe and the U.S. Airbus Helicopters EC175 fly-by-wire flight control system protracted program is now eying and a patrol/surveillance variant. Airbus Helicopters deliv- with a BAE flight computer that certification this year under Rus- A new flush opening cabin door AgustaWestland CTR ered the first two EC175s to incorporates lessons learned on sian AP-29 standards. with a retractable hoist is being AW is developing a larger NHV last December and one of the Bell/Boeing V-22 and AW609 designed for later models. Much commercial tiltrotor expected to them entered North Sea service (formerly Bell/ 609) tilt­ Tiltrotor/Compound speculation remains as to pricing seat 25 to 50 passengers. It is par- the following week–nine years rotors. The 525 will feature the but sources close to the program tially funded by the European after the program was formally Garmin G5000H touchscreen- AgustaWestland AW609 think it will be less than $30 mil- Union’s Clean Sky 2 environmen- launched, five years after the controlled glass panel integrated AgustaWestland is still aiming lion in current dollars. tal initiative and AW is currently EC175 first flew and 10 months avionics suite with four main to certify the world’s first commer- Announced aircraft perfor- recruiting risk-sharing partners. after type certification. Designed displays and Telligence voice- cial tiltrotor in 2017. The aircraft mance includes a maximum If the program progresses, the with the oil-and-gas market in command capabilities, two key will be certified initially by the forward speed of 275 knots, a machine could fly in 2020 and

mind, the 16,500-pound EC175 components of Bell’s new ARC FAA under Parts 23, 25, 29 and a ceiling of 25,000 feet, a hover enter production in 2025. o © 2015 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to www.ainonline.com

56 Aviation International News • February 2015 • www.ainonline.com