Bell Textron said a dedicated Bell 505 has accumulated more than 700 flight hours using blended sustainable aviation fuel as part of an ongoing effort with Safran Helicopter Engines. The company announced the milestone at European Rotors 2025, noting the aircraft has been operating on SAF at the Bell Training Academy since mid-2022. The program builds on work that began in 2022, when Bell and Safran launched a study of technical and economic factors tied to SAF use on the Bell 505 and its Arrius 2R engine.
According to Bell, the aircraft later became the first single-engine helicopter to fly on 100 percent SAF during a demonstration flight in early 2023. Since then, engine operability checks, aircraft performance reviews and inspection results have continued as part of the evaluation.
“Bell is proud to celebrate this next step in industry carbon reduction objectives,” said Robin Wendling, Bell’s managing director for Europe.
Safran said the work aligns with its plans for broader SAF compatibility.
“We are particularly pleased with these SAF flights in partnership with Bell,” said Jean-François Sauer, Safran Helicopter Engines’ executive vice president for programs. “The Arrius 2R, like all our engines, are currently able to operate with up to 50% drop-in SAF. Very soon, our engines will be capable of 100% drop-in SAF, paving the way for wider use of this type of fuel for increased sustainability of helicopter operations.”
The Bell 505, which includes the Arrius 2R, a dual-channel FADEC system and Garmin G1000H NXi avionics, continues in training and mission testing across multiple operational profiles. Bell is also currently pursuing a U.S. Army contractor-owned contractor-operated (COCO) service contract to run the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next, using the Bell 505 as its primary training platform.
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