Norwegian Air Ambulance (Norsk Luftambulanse AS) has selected Turbomeca’s (Safran) Arrius 2B2Plus engine to power its three new Airbus Helicopters H135. Signed at the Paris Airshow, this agreement marks the first step of a new collaboration with one of Europe’s major medical airlift service provider.

Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support & Services, said: “We are proud to be part of this continuing effort to provide medical assistance to the Norwegian people. Norwegian Air Ambulance is recognized for its expertise and its focus on introducing new products and services. The Arrius 2B2Plus combines state-of-the-art technology with best–in-class reliability. Its selection confirms the competitive advantage of our solution for the light and medium helicopter market.”

Norwegian Air Ambulance CEO, Syver Leivestad, said: “We decided to switch to the Arrius 2B2Plus on our new H135 because it delivers lower operating costs. It will allow our crews to operate with extra confidence in the most demanding mission environments.”

Specifically developed to power light helicopters, the Arrius 2B2Plus was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in September 2014.

The 2B2Plus is the latest member of the Arrius family which, with seven million recorded flight hours, is the most popular engine of its class. In addition to its unmatched reliability, its advantages over the earlier 2B2 variant include a six per cent power increase in hot and high conditions. This strongly contributes to the H135’s ability to carry more payload at the same altitude.

To date, Turbomeca has delivered more than 3,000 Arrius engines to 430 customers in 60 countries.

Turbomeca (Safran) is the leading helicopter engine manufacturer and, since its foundation in 1938, has produced over 72,000 turbines. Turbomeca offers the widest range of helicopter engines in the world and has more than 2,500 customers in 155 countries. Turbomeca has 15 sites and operates on each continent, providing its customers with a proximity service through 36 distributors and certified maintenance centers, 18 Repair & Overhaul Centers, and 90 Field Representatives and Field Technicians. Turbomeca subsidiary Microturbo is the leading European manufacturer of turbojet engines for missiles, drones and auxiliary power units.