SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES

Their core work

Safran Helicopter Engines (formerly Turbomeca) is a major French manufacturer of gas turbine engines for helicopters and light aircraft, part of the Safran Group. In H2020 projects, they contribute industrial-scale engine testing, combustion expertise, and aeromechanical validation to advance next-generation aviation propulsion. Their participation spans combustion modeling, turbomachinery noise reduction, aeromechanical stability (flutter and forced response), and most recently AI-driven simulation at exascale — reflecting a manufacturer actively digitizing its R&D pipeline.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early phase (2016-2018), Safran Helicopter Engines focused on fundamental combustion science and noise prediction — projects like SOPRANO, TurboNoiseBB, and the MSCA training networks MAGISTER and ANNULIGhT all addressed core physics of gas turbine operation. From 2018 onward, the focus shifted toward applied aeromechanics (ARIAS), large-scale engine demonstrators (Clean Sky 2), and digital engineering with AI and exascale computing (RAISE). This trajectory shows a manufacturer moving from understanding combustion physics toward integrating AI-driven simulation into its engine development process.

Safran Helicopter Engines is actively integrating AI and high-performance computing into its engine R&D workflow, making them a strong partner for digital twin and simulation-based engineering proposals.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for large industrial companies that contribute use cases, test facilities, and domain expertise rather than managing research consortia. With 88 unique partners across 17 countries, they operate in large, diverse consortia and are well-connected across European aerospace research. Their role is that of an industrial end-user who validates academic research against real engine systems.

Extensive European network of 88 unique consortium partners spanning 17 countries, reflecting deep integration into the EU aerospace and HPC research ecosystems through both Clean Sky 2 and Horizon 2020 collaborative programmes.

What sets them apart

As one of the world's leading helicopter engine manufacturers, Safran Helicopter Engines brings something rare to EU consortia: real industrial gas turbine test cases and validation environments that most academic partners cannot access. Their combination of combustion expertise, aeromechanical testing capability, and growing AI/simulation capacity makes them an ideal industrial partner for proposals needing a credible end-user in aviation propulsion. Their Clean Sky 2 involvement (over EUR 8.4M in two GAM projects alone) confirms they are a trusted industry partner for Europe's flagship aviation programme.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ENG GAM 2018
  Largest single project at EUR 5.9M — a Clean Sky 2 Engine ITD demonstrator, representing the core of their industrial contribution to next-gen aviation engines.
• RAISE
  Marks their strategic pivot into AI and exascale computing for engineering simulation — their most forward-looking project and a signal of digital transformation.
• ARIAS
  Dedicated aeromechanics research (flutter, forced response) running until 2023, filling a critical gap in turbine blade reliability and safety.