At the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heli-Expo, Honeywell Aerospace announced the HTS900 engine, which will be available from Eagle Copter as an upgrade for Bell 407 operators, allowing them to fly high and hot.

Honeywell teamed with Eagle Copters of Calgary, Alberta, to offer the HTS900 engine, which will be called the Eagle 407 HP.

"Eagle 407 HP operators are going to see a big difference, especially flying cargo high or hot, because of a 26 percent increase in shaft horsepower," said Carl Esposito, Honeywell Aerospace's vice president of marketing and product management. "The HTS900 fills the Bell transmission with power up to 14,500 feet."

The new Eagle 407 HP uses design and engineering licensed from Bell Helicopter to provide operators a 40 percent increase in Hover-Out-of-Ground-Effect (HOGE) performance at International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) +20°C conditions, while delivering a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

"The Eagle 407 HP transforms the Bell 407 into a real high-hot performer," said Mike O'Reilly, president of Eagle Copters. "Using Bell Helicopter design and engineering adds an enormous credibility to the design."

The Honeywell HTS900 engine is a new type of engine design that provides superior performance in high, hot conditions, fuel efficiency and operating costs. New technologies include a dual centrifugal compressor, cooled single-crystal turbine blades, effusion cooled combustor liner, and a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC).

"The HTS900 engine delivers more than 1,000 Shaft Horsepower (SHP) and the lowest fuel consumption and highest power-to-weight ratio of any engine in its class," said Esposito. "The HTS900 upgrade delivers 10 percent lower fuel burn and on-condition maintenance with no hard time overhaul limits, achieving a 10 percent lower operating cost."

Bell's 407 is a bread-and-butter patrol helicoper used by many law enforcement agencies such as Dallas PD, the NYPD and the Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff's Department.