Robinson Helicopter & Safran Helicopter Engines confirm R88 progress in aircraft development and serenity support package

Robinson Helicopter Company and Safran Helicopter Engines provided details regarding progress of the R88 helicopter, equipped with the 950 shp class Arriel 2W engine, and supported by the Safran serenity package.  Robinson is the only helicopter company offering serenity support package standard with every purchase of an all-new R88. 

Since the R88's unveiling at Verticon 2025, Robinson Helicopter and Safran have been engaged in close cooperation to advance the engineering development and integration of the Arriel 2W engine into the clean-sheet R88 platform. The selection of the Arriel 2W, Safran’s newest variant of the Arriel family with over 66 million flight hours, was based on Safran's positive record in operator support and services.

The R88 is an all-new highly configurable, multi-use, single-engine helicopter designed with a dual-pilot, 8-passenger cabin expanding Robinson Helicopter’s product line and meeting diverse mission requirements. Safran has embedded its own engineering personnel at Robinson in their vertically integrated Torrance, CA., manufacturing facility to speed the collaboration and time to market. The two companies are working together closely to prepare for rigorous type certificate testing, designed to uphold the core values of reliability, dependability, and affordability.

Cédric Goubet, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, commented: “We are delighted to be able to present the R88 and its Arriel 2W engine to its future buyers in Europe today. This helicopter is set to be a major success in the light helicopter market. The serenity service package will be a real asset to R88 users, providing them with guaranteed service from the moment the helicopter is delivered.”

David Smith, President and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company stated: “Our objective is to deliver a highly capable, multi-mission, utility helicopter that will disrupt and outperform the single-engine market in capability and affordability. Integrating the Arriel 2W engine through a continuous and closely managed engineering process since March 2025, ensures we are meeting that objective. The advancement of the serenity package location support is a critical component of that value proposition, offering our customers predictable operational support, where they need it, when they need it.”

Safran has advanced the serenity package offering for the Arriel 2W to ensure Robinson R88 Helicopter customers have continuous engine availability and support, no matter their global location.

The serenity package comes ‘standard’ with every R88 and automatically provides 5 years or 2,000 flight hours of support (whichever comes first) and includes an Aircraft on Ground incident service. Key features of the package include coverage for Level 3 and 4 unscheduled maintenance and a priority access to the replacement engines pool. The serenity package also covers troubleshooting and assistance solutions in addition to advanced digital services such as Health Monitoring, and Logbook Connect. R88 customers can also take advantage of Safran Helicopter Engines' support network, which provides local service and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) support worldwide.

To accommodate Robinson R88 customers Safran will reinforce its global support with a robust pool of assets to include, Robinson’s three largest markets, the United States, Australia and Brazil. Additional locations include Singapore, China and three more across Europe including the UK, Germany and France with a total of more than 20 MRO facilities covering six continents.

Every day, all over the world, Arriel engines power helicopters for a multitude of demanding missions. Robinson selected Safran for the ongoing recognition it has received from operators for its performance of support and services. In 2025, Safran Helicopter Engines topped the rankings for the fourth time in five years in industry leading surveys, making the Robinson Helicopter and Safran partnership of quality, durability, reliability, accessibility and affordability; a winning combination for any mission type, anywhere in the world.