Safran Helicopter Engines signs major SBH support contract for Arriel 2E engines

Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a significant support-by-the-hour contract with Airbus Helicopters for the engines powering the German Bundeswehr’s new fleet of Airbus H145M helicopters. This Support-By-the-Hour (SBH®) contract covers in-service support and MRO for more than 124 Arriel 2E engines, from helicopter entry into service to 2030. This agreement adds to the existing SBH contracts for engine support for the German forces’ H145M LUH SOF and H145 LUH SAR helicopters.

The contract will be managed by Safran Helicopter Engines Germany in Hamburg, which oversees and supports 300 helicopter operators in Germany, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, for a total fleet of 2,000 engines.

“Through this contract, we are further consolidating our support offer to the German forces. Whether through the SBH contract for the H145 fleet or the global support package (GSP) contract for the NH90 fleet, we support the German forces with the best possible service models, which maximise equipment availability while optimising costs. Added to this is the construction of new facilities for Safran Helicopter Engines Germany near Hamburg, which will significantly enhance our MRO capacity in this area,” said Mathieu Albert, Safran Helicopter Engines Executive Vice-President, Support and Services.

Safran powers the majority of the German armed forces’ helicopters: the H145 and H145M with the Arriel 2E engine, the NH90 with the RTM322, the Tiger UHT with the MTR390 engine (co-developed with MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce, and ITP Aero) and the H135 training helicopters with the Arrius 2B1.

SBH is Safran Helicopter Engines’ hourly maintenance service. It provides visibility on engine operating costs and streamlines financial flows, while making scheduled and unscheduled maintenance operations more flexible. SBH is integrated into a range of high value-added digital services such as Health Monitoring, Expert Link, and Online SBH.