Safran has signed a major support-by-the-hour contract with DRF Luftrettung for the engines powering its H145 helicopter fleet.

This SBH contract covers in-service support and MRO for over 90 Arriel 2E engines. DRF Luftrettung is one of the biggest users of the Arriel engine in Europe.

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

“This contract demonstrates the relevance of our SBH support model. DRF Luftrettung is one of the major actors in helicopter EMS in Germany, and it is important for them to have the most efficient engine MRO and support model possible”, said Mathieu Albert, Safran Helicopter Engines, executive vice president, Support and Services.

“We have been using Safran Helicopter Engines in our fleet for many years now and they have become an indispensable part of our life-saving missions. It is crucial for us to work with partners who we can rely on in all circumstances. Therefore we are very happy that in the future we will continue to profit from Safran Helicopter Engines experience and reliable services”, adds Roman Morka, DRF Luftrettung chief technology officer.    

SBH is Safran Helicopter Engines’ maintenance-by-the-hour service. It provides visibility on engine operating costs and smoothes financial flows, while making scheduled and unscheduled maintenance operations more flexible.

The DRF Luftrettung, based in Filderstadt, is one of the largest air rescue organizations in Europe. The helicopters and ambulance aircraft of the non-profit organization take off for their missions from 32 bases at 30 locations in Germany.

These include emergency rescue missions, transports of intensive care patients between hospitals, as well as repatriation flights of patients from abroad. In total, the DRF Luftrettung performed 36,413 missions in 2023. The organization relies on financial support and has around 400,000 supporting members at its side.