Safran Helicopter Engines has received EASA type certification for its Aneto-1K engine, as fitted to the Leonardo AW189K. Intended for super-medium and heavy helicopters, the Aneto family produces between 2,500 and 3,000 shp. The 1K is rated at 2,500 shp and its first flight in the AW189K took place in March 2017.

VP of the heavy helicopter engines programme Christian Caneilles says: “Certification represents a major milestone for the Aneto programme, which will deliver best-in-class solutions for super medium and heavy helicopters. It reflects the excellent performance demonstrated by the engine during its development phase. After an intensive and rigorous test campaign of more than 5,000 hours, on the ground and in-flight, the Aneto-1K is now ready to support AW189K entry-into-service.”

Thanks to its power-to-volume ratio, the Aneto is said to deliver 25 per cent more thermal power over existing similarly-rated engines, resulting in increased mission capabilities. This will be especially useful in demanding roles such as offshore transport, search and rescue, fire-fighting, law enforcement or military transport, where increased hot and high power margins and solid performance in the transitory regime must be assured.

The Aneto delivers increased reliability and safety. Maintenance is optimised with fewer scheduled tasks and longer service intervals. Users will also benefit from connected features like health monitoring (predictive maintenance) and full compatibility with BOOST, Safran's new online engine configuration and maintenance management service.