Bell single-engine helicopter becomes 1st to fly with 100% SAF

Aerospace manufacturer Bell Textron Inc, a unit of multi-industry company Textron Inc (NYSE:TXT), announced on Tuesday that its Bell 505 aircraft became the first-ever single-engine helicopter to fly with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The milestone was achieved in partnership with Safran Helicopter Engines and GKN Aerospace, the respective providers of the Arrius 2R engine and the fuel system component used in the Bell 505.

At the same time, Finland’s Neste Oyj (HEL:NESTE) and Virent Inc worked together to blend, test and deliver the SAF for this project as a 100% drop-in fuel. More specifically, Virent has provided an aromatics component made from renewable plant sugars as an addition to Neste’s neat SAF. This combination has eliminated the need to blend SAF with petroleum fuel.

“SAF is one of the key pillars in our strategy to decarbonize the helicopter industry. Our engines are certified to operate on up to 50% SAF and our objective is to certify in the coming years the use of 100% SAF, which can potentially result in carbon lifecycle emissions reductions by up to 80%,” said Valentin Safir, executive vice-president, Programs, Safran Helicopter Engines.

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