Safran highlights its business aviation capabilities at NBAA-BACE 2019

October 30, 2019

Safran promoted its nose-to-tail offering for business jets at last week’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Highlights included several key announcements, the presentation of a full-scale eVTOL mockup in partnership with Uber, and an exhibit featuring an impressive range of products.

Safran Nacelles announced its Tier 1 supplier role for the complete nacelle on Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 turbofan engines that power Gulfstream Aviation's G700 business jet, which was unveiled during the business aviation community’s premier event. "With the Pearl 700 nacelle now in production, Safran Nacelles confirms its strategy to be the supplier of choice of complete nacelles for business aviation," said Cédric Goubet, Safran Nacelles' Chief Executive Officer, who was present at NBAA-BACE.

Urban air mobility

Safran and Uber drew crowds in the Urban Air Mobility exhibit area of NBAA-BACE with a full-scale eVTOL mockup based on a future vision for on-demand urban air mobility vehicles. In a co-creation project with Uber Air, Safran Cabin designed this fully integrated air taxi vehicle mock-up at its design studio in Huntington Beach, California. High-profile visitors who had a close-up look at the eVTOL mockup included aircraft owners, businessmen, and basketball superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson (who delivered the opening day keynote address), along with Steve Dickson, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Gearing up for hybrid-electric business jet

Another major highlight of the show was the announcement by Safran Electrical & Power that its ENGINeUS™ electric motors will fly on the VoltAero Cassio 1 hybrid-electric testbed aircraft. The company unveiled the ENGINeUS™ range of electric motors at last year's NBAA-BACE Conference & Exhibition. By integrating the ENGINeUS™ 45 motors on Cassio 1, Safran Electrical & Power will contribute to the development of a highly promising hybrid-electric general aviation aircraft. 

Among the related offerings shown at NBAA-BACE was a Brushless Starter Generator (BSG) and DC Module for power distribution, and a plug-in circuit breaker panel that is featured on the Airbus C-Series jetliner.

Avionics

The Horizontal Stabilizer Trim Actuator (HSTA) from Safran Electronics & Defense Avionics’ EMS Business Unit (created following the acquisition of the ElectroMechanical Systems business from Collins Aerospace) was premiered during the event. The HSTA is designed to help keep an aircraft’s attitude stable for a safe, comfortable, and efficient flight. Other avionics systems exhibited this year included the Cassiopée flight data management services, the SkyNaute Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), and a range of flight data recorders.

Landing systems

Visitors also had a close-up look at landing gear designed for Bombardier's Global 5000/6000 business jet. Safran provides landing gear solutions for the entire Bombardier Global aircraft family. 

Propulsion

Highlighting its propulsion capabilities, Safran featured the Silvercrest® turbofan engine that is designed for large-cabin premium business jets. 

Cabin interiors

Visitors who walked through the booth at NBAA-BACE experienced a range of aircraft interior solutions by Safran Cabin. Displayed this year was the Atmosphere Line, which offers the latest and newest technology in cooking ovens, microwave and hot beverage preparation, a selection of solid surface countertops, and the lightest and quietest mechanical table for business aviation.

Aerosystems 

As the world leader in emergency evacuation systems, Safran displayed its newest emergency life raft for the business aviation market. Using the latest technologies, Safran has developed the market’s lightest-weight product – which received FAA TSO-C70b approval and meets the industry’s latest safety standards.

In addition, Safran highlighted a range of safety systems, including pilot and passenger masks: the MD40 EROS® R Crew Mask and the AV8RO2™ Mask.