Turbomeca (Safran) is celebrating the first test run of the Arrano which occurred in February at Bordes' facility (France). The new 1,100 shp engine unveiled last year at Heli-Expo in Las Vegas is designed to power four to-six ton twin engine helicopters and single engine helicopters close to three tons. It fits between the Arriel and Ardiden power ranges.

In today's market, the Arrano is unmatched in its category: a major benefit of this new engine is a 10 to 15% reduction in specific fuel consumption, when compared with other engines in service today, contributing to improved performance (range, payload) and reduced environmental footprint. Cost of ownership will be reduced through Turbomeca's optimized maintenance concept designed to significantly decrease the need for on-site servicing.

The first variant of the Arrano family, the Arrano 1A, will power the Airbus Helicopters X4, new-generation 5-to-6-tons helicopter.