Safran : and AECC strengthen industrial cooperation on WZ16 engine
November 06, 2019 at 12:25 pm EST
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6 November 2019, Beijing
Safran and Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) have signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen their industrial cooperation on the WZ16 French-Chinese helicopter engine. This agreement was signed in Beijing by Alexandre Ziegler, Safran Senior Executive Vice President, International and Public Affairs, and AECC Chairman Cao Jianguo, during French President Emmanuel Macron's State Visit to China.
The WZ16 is jointly developed and built by Safran Helicopter Engines and AECC. Certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was announced on 10 October 2019. The engine is installed in the AVIC AC352 helicopter.
Through this memorandum of agreement, Safran Helicopter Engines and AECC agree to:
Study opportunity for a joint venture in China to support and maintain in-service WZ16.
Prepare and launch production ramp-up of WZ16 to deliver a first order of 120 engines and discuss opportunity for 100 additional units.
Discuss new applications for WZ16, including turboprop variant for fixed-wing aircraft.
Alexandre Ziegler says that 'the WZ16 partnership between Safran and AECC is already a success as the first jointly-developed aero-engine to be entirely certified by Chinese authorities. This new agreement is an opportunity to enlarge our partnership, especially as we prepare for certification and entry-into-service'.
Also known as the Ardiden 3C, the WZ16 is a new-generation turboshaft in the 1,700-2,000 shp range. The Ardiden 3C was certified by EASA in April 2018.
The AC352's maiden flight took place on December 2016 and certification is planned for 2021.
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Safran SA published this content on 06 November 2019 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 06 November 2019 17:24:01 UTC
Safran is a high technology international group, a leading equipment provider in the Aerospace and Defense markets. The group specializes in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of equipment and systems of high technology mechanical and electronic equipment. Net sales break down by product family as follows:
- aeronautic and space propulsion systems (51.2%): helicopter motors (No. 1 worldwide), civil and military airplanes motors, systems for space lancers and missiles, turboreactors for drone targets, etc.;
- aircraft equipment, defense systems and aerosystems (38%): airplane engine pods, landing gear, braking systems, electric wiring systems, etc. Safran also offers on board aircraft systems and equipment (primarily evacuation slides, emergency arresting systems, protective parachutes and oxygen systems, electrical power management systems, control systems, water and waste management systems and connectivity systems) and defense and security systems (helicopter flight controls, fingerprint-based biometric identification systems (No. 1 worldwide), inertial systems, optronic systems, tactical drone systems, etc.);
- aircraft interiors (10.7%): cabin interiors and seats;
- other (0.1%).
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: France (19.4%), Europe (24%), the Americas (34.8%), Asia and Oceania (13.2%), Africa and the Middle East (8.6%).