OTHER NEWS FROM THE SAFRAN COMMUNITY

This is the largest contract ever booked by Safran Helicopter Engines. The company signed a through-life (TLS) contract with the French aeronautical maintenance directorate (DMA) in 2001 and renewed it for a first time in 2011. The contract is called Saturne, which stands for “Soutien avancé des turbines de l’État” (Advanced support for government engines) , and it has now been renewed for a further 10 years. It covers the through-life support of the French government’s helicopter engine fleet. The teams perform MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) and ensure the availability of the engines powering the helicopters operated by the French army light air arm (ALAT), the French air and space force, the French navy, the Gendarmerie Nationale (police), civil defense, customs and the French defense procurement agency DGA’s flight test center. It covers 550 helicopters, 1,600 engines and nearly 22,000 missions a year.

The TLS contract sets the standard for performance and cost control. Safran Helicopter Engines applies this model in the form of a Global Support Package (GSP) for other government customers around the world, such as Brazil, Denmark, Malaysia, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

The space sector is undergoing an unprecedented boom with the deployment of satellites to help ensure Europe’s security and sovereignty. At the heart of this adventure, Safran Aircraft Engines supplies operators with PPS^®5000 plasma thrusters. The PPS^®5000 is already in orbit on the Syracuse 4A military communications satellite, launched in late 2021. The company is also involved in Galileo, one of Europe’s largest programs, with 12 global positioning satellites. “Galileo is a strategic project for European space sovereignty,” says Olivier Ferrandon, Manager, Space Electric Propulsion Directorate. “We’ll be delivering the first thrusters to Thales Alenia Space in early 2023.” This market is undergoing other changes: the economic sanctions on Russia are generating new contracts for Safran, with 30 more thrusters ordered to date. We also have new export customers: a record contract for nine thrusters (including propulsion system equipment) has been signed with a new American customer.

Albatros is a maritime surveillance and intervention aircraft program led by Dassault Aviation to meet the needs of the French navy. The Albatros is a militarized version of the Falcon 2000LXS. The initial order from French defense procurement agency DGA is for seven aircraft, out of a planned total of 12. Dassault Aviation has awarded Safran Electrical & Power a contract for modification of the electrical system and installation of wiring on these seven aircraft, with an option on the other five.

“After the Archange contract in 2021, this is the second Falcon mission program for which we’ve been selected,” said Benoît Gagey, program manager for Safran Electrical & Power. “We’ll be readying these wiring harnesses for production based on the digital definition provided by the customer using a solution from our digital suite. The agreement with Dassault Aviation is a turnkey project including manufacturing the wiring, installing it on the planes and performing all the necessary tests.”

The wiring will be manufactured in Vichy, then installed on the aircraft at the customer’s site in Mérignac. The first Albatros will be delivered to the French Navy in 2025.

Positive development for Safran and French and European sovereignty: the Euroflir™ 510 optronic sight from Safran Electronics & Defense has been selected for the Tiger Mk3 upgrade. The Euroflir™ 510 is currently in development. The Tiger attack helicopter is a joint program between France, Germany and Spain. Its technological upgrades are coordinated by OCCAR, the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation. Today, about 180 Tigers are in service worldwide. For the next upgrade, OCCAR has placed an order with Safran for 85 Euroflir™ 510s to equip the French and Spanish Tigers. The Euroflir™ 510 will replace the Strix sight (also from Safran). Over 1,000 Euroflir™ 510s have been ordered to date. First deliveries for the Tiger program will be in 2027.

Safran Landing Systems has been selected by Lockheed Martin to design, develop and qualify a new main and nose landing gear structure for the next-generation American defense aircraft being developed by the US manufacturer. The military program is top secret, but this selection strengthens Safran’s presence in the North American defense market. It will be the first collaboration between Safran Landing Systems and Lockheed Martin.

In early 2022, Safran Aerosystems delivered its 10th NARANG new-generation in-flight refueling pod to the French Navy. The NARANG equips the Rafale M fighters in the navy’s carrier air wing. Thanks to the refueling pod from Safran Aerosystems, a Rafale M can be reconfigured for “buddy tanking” other aircraft of the same type on a mission. This extends the Rafale M’s range and also improves flight safety by avoiding the need for large tanker planes. Sixteen pods have been ordered in all, with the last six to be delivered by year’s end. Beyond 2022, further sales are likely, given the Rafale’s success in export markets.