Design of the BK 117 medium twin-engine helicopters was started in 1977 as a joint effort between MBB GMBH in Germany and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan. MBB (now Eurocopter) has responsibility for design and manufacturing of the dynamic system, the tail boom, landing gear, various systems and systems integration. Kawasaki has responsibility for the fuselage, transmission and various systems. Final assembly takes place at two locations, one at Donauworth in Germany and one at Gifu in Japan.
It is an 8 to 11-place medium twin-engine turbine helicopter that is characterized by a large combined passenger cabin and luggage compartment that extends the full length of the fuselage. Clamshell doors at the back of the fuselage allow access to this combined passenger/luggage compartment that has an unobstructed length of over 9 feet. The standard seating configuration has a pilot and one passenger/pilot seat up front and two or three rows of 3 seats in the back. Alternatively, two litters can be loaded through the clam- shell doors and placed side by side on the flat floor. In this configuration there is also room for two or three medical attendants.
The drive train uses two Honeywell (ex Lycoming) LTS 101-750B1 engines and a rigid, hinge less four-bladed rotor based on the Bo 105 design. The main rotor blades are made of composite construction, as are the two tail rotor blades. The tail rotor is mounted at the top of the vertical fin, which provides unobstructed access to the rear clam-shell doors. The primary fuselage structure is constructed of aluminum alloy. Secondary fuselage structures are made of Kevlar and other composites.
First flight of the BK 117 took place in 1979 and certification to the standards of FAR 29 was obtained in 1983. Certification for Category A operations and single pilot IFR operations was also obtained. First deliveries were made in 1983 and the helicopter has been in production since that time. To date over 400 BK 117 of all models have been delivered. Aircraft that are assembled in Japan have serial numbers that start with 1001. Aircraft that are assembled in Germany have serial numbers that start with 7001. The BK 117 B2 was certificated in 1992 and was in production from 1992 until 1998.
The BK117-850D2 is the BK117-B2 with new Honeywell LTS-101- 850 engines replacing the LTS-101 – 750 engines. This new engine has more shp and gives the BK117 better hot and high performance with the same fuel burn rate as the previous LTS-101-750 engines. This allows operators to carry more BK
The BK117-850D2 is certified by the FAA and EASA.
