Safran Joins team to Design New Turboprop for European Unmanned Applications
Safran Helicopter Engines, ZF Luftfahrttechnik GmbH (ZFL) and MT-Propeller have agreed to cooperate on a new turboprop engine intended for European unmanned applications. This 100 percent European turboprop will be derivated of Safran’s Ardiden three and use technologies matured through its Tech TP technological demonstrator, which ran for the first time in June 2019. Within this partnership, MT-Propeller will be responsible for the propeller and ZFL for the PAGB (propeller and accessory gearbox).
Commented Bruno Bellanger, Safran Helicopter Engines EVP Programs, “This partnership lays the foundation of a solid cooperation between renowed actors in the field of aircraft propulsion. It will offer the European aerospace industry a 100 percent European engine solution for new unmanned applications, featuring high levels of design maturity and competitive operating and maintenance costs”.
This turboprop will be optimized for operation at medium and high altitude, up to 45,000 feet and will benefit from an easy operability thanks to a unique throttle and a full authority digital engine and propeller control (FADEPC) for both power and propeller pitch.
Tech TP is part of the Clean Sky 2 research and innovation program. Its aims are to validate the technologies required to develop a new-generation turboprop, featuring a compact, lightweight architecture and offering 15 percentage lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions over current engines.
The Ardiden 3 is a new-generation turboshaft in the 1,700 to 2,000 shp power range. Two EASAcertified models, the Ardiden 3C and 3G, have completed over 10,000 hours of tests, confirming high levels of design maturity and competitive operating and maintenance costs.
