Safran Helicopter Engines
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, Gas turbine engines |
| Predecessor | Turbomeca |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Founder | Joseph Szydlowski, André Planiol |
| Headquarters | Bordes (near Pau) , France |
Area served | Worldwide (155 countries) |
| Products | Gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters; turbojet engines for aircraft and missiles; turbines for land-based, industrial, and marine applications |
| Owner | Safran Group |
Number of employees | 6,300 |
| Parent | Safran Group |
Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French company that specializes in manufacturing low- to medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines primarily for helicopter applications. The firm also produces gas turbine engines utilized in aircraft, missiles, as well as turbines designed for land-based, industrial, and maritime uses.
Established in 1938 under the name Turbomeca, the enterprise has delivered more than 72,000 turbines to date. Its initial expansion was largely fueled by a French government rearmament initiative; although operations were interrupted during the Second World War, the company rapidly recovered after the conflict. Among its significant Cold War achievements were the development of the Artouste II turboshaft engine, which powered the Sud Aviation Alouette II—the first helicopter produced with a turbine engine—and a collaborative venture with Rolls-Royce Ltd to manufacture turbojet and turboshaft engines.
In 2001, Turbomeca was acquired by the French aerospace conglomerate SNECMA Group and subsequently rebranded as Safran Helicopter Engines. Today, it supports over 2,500 clients across 155 countries through 15 global facilities, complemented by 44 distributors, 18 Repair & Overhaul Centers, and a network of 90 field service technicians. Its subsidiary, Safran Power Units, leads Europe's production of turbojet engines for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and auxiliary power units. Safran Helicopter Engines employs around 6,300 personnel worldwide, with approximately 5,000 based in France. In 2015 alone, the company manufactured and delivered 718 new engines while servicing roughly 1,700 units.
History
The company was founded on 29 August 1938 by Joseph Szydlowski and André Planiol after securing a patent for a supercharger design. Turbomeca quickly began receiving orders from engine manufacturer Hispano-Suiza, benefiting from France’s pre-World War II military buildup. Production surged rapidly—from manufacturing just 18 compressors in 1938 to producing 1,200 units by 1940. Following the German invasion in 1940, operations were relocated southward, eventually settling in Bordes near Pau by mid-1942. Although production was halted during the German occupation, it resumed swiftly after liberation in 1944 under Szydlowski’s guidance.
In the postwar period, the company pivoted towards developing low-power jet propulsion systems and turboshaft engines for helicopters—a sector that has remained central ever since. Beginning in 1950, Turbomeca produced the Palas centrifugal-flow turbojet engine delivering 1.6 kN of thrust; this design was licensed internationally. By 1955, its Artouste II turboshaft engine powered the Sud Aviation Alouette II helicopter—the world’s first production model featuring turbine propulsion.
In 1968, Turbomeca entered into a joint venture with Rolls-Royce Ltd named Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited to develop the Adour turbojet engine for the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar fighter aircraft. The Adour engine was utilized across multiple trainer and attack aircraft platforms; over 2,800 units were produced and accumulated more than seven million flight hours.
Subsequently, Rolls-Royce Turbomeca developed the RTM322 turboshaft engine, which was selected in 1995 to power British Army AgustaWestland Apache helicopters. This engine also powers NHIndustries NH90 and AgustaWestland AW101 transport helicopters as well as the Eurocopter X³ experimental demonstrator. By 2003, efforts concentrated on boosting RTM322 output beyond 2,500 shp to meet evolving operational requirements.
In June 1989, MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce (MTR) was formed to develop the MTR390 engine for Eurocopter’s Tiger battlefield helicopter program—a collaboration between Turbomeca, Germany’s MTU Aero Engines, and Rolls-Royce. Production of the MTR390 commenced in early 2000 under a contract valued at DM430 million for an initial batch of 320 engines plus spares; subsequent Tiger variants employ upgraded versions of this powerplant.
In 2013, Safran Helicopter Engines purchased Rolls-Royce’s stake in Rolls-Royce Turbomeca for approximately €293 million (equivalent to $381 million), thereby consolidating all RTM322 engine activities within Safran’s organization. Consequently, Rolls-Royce Turbomeca became a wholly owned subsidiary of Safran Helicopter Engines.
By 2010, Safran Helicopter Engines supplied powerplants for civil and military helicopters manufactured by industry leaders such as Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, Sikorsky, Kamov, HAL, and NHI.
Engine models
Safran stands as the foremost global producer of gas turbine engines tailored for both civil and military helicopter applications, offering a full spectrum of design, manufacturing, sales, and support services for turbine engines. More than 18,000 Safran Helicopter engines are installed in aircraft manufactured by leading companies such as Airbus Helicopters, AVIC, Sikorsky, Bell Helicopter, Finmeccanica Helicopters, Denel, Russian Helicopters, HAL, and Boeing. Within the defense sector, Safran engines power helicopters including the Tiger, NH90, Finmeccanica A109 Power, and AW101 models. These rotorcraft are operated by approximately 2,500 clients in about 150 nations.
Turboprops/turboshafts
The majority of Turbomeca's engine names derive from mountains in the Pyrenees.
Safran's primary engine series encompass Arrius and Arriel (delivering up to 1,000 shaft horsepower) designed for light to medium helicopters; TM333, Arrano, and Ardiden (ranging between 1,000 and 2,000 SHP) intended for civil and military rotorcraft weighing 5 to 8 tons; and Makila and RTM322 (exceeding 2,000 SHP) suited for heavy-lift helicopters.
| Model | Introduction | Discontinued | Minimum HP | Maximum HP | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artouste | 1956 | 1975 | 400 | 550 | Alouette II, Alouette III |
| Astazou | 1957 | unknown | 523 | 644 | Alouette II, Alouette III, Gazelle, Jetstream |
| Bastan | 1960 | 1976 | 650 | 1,048 | Nord 260, N 262 |
| Turmo | 1962 | 1987 | 1,200 | 1,800 | Puma, Super Frelon |
| Arriel | 1974 | present | 590 | 1,000 | A109, BK 117, EC145, Dauphin, Ecureuil, S-76, Harbin Z-9/Z-19 |
| Makila | 1978 | present | 1,800 | 2,100 | Super Puma, AS532, EC725, Rooivalk |
| Arrius | 1981 | present | 450 | 750 | AS355, AS555, EC135, EC635, EC120B, A109, Ka-226T, Bell 505 |
| TM 333 | 1981 | unknown | 750 | 1,100 | HAL Dhruv, Cheetah, Chetak |
| RTM322[lower-alpha 1] | 1987 | present | 2,100 | 2,600 | Apache, AW101, NH90 |
| MTR390[lower-alpha 2] | 1991 | present | 1,250 | 1,450 | Tiger |
| Ardiden | 2007 | present | 1,400 | 2,000 | AC352, HAL Dhruv/Prachand, HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Kamov Ka-62 |
| Aneto | 2018 | present | 2,500 | 3,000 | AW189K, AW149 |
| Arrano | 2019 | present | 1,100 | 1,300 | H160 |
Turbojet Engines
Turbofan Engines
- Turbomeca Astafan
- Turbomeca Aubisque
- Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour – collaboration with Rolls-Royce
Microturbo Subsidiary Engines
- Microturbo SG 18
- Microturbo TRS 18
- Microturbo TRI-40
- Microturbo TRI 60
- Microturbo TRI 80
- Microturbo Cougar
- Microturbo Eclair
- Microturbo Lynx
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