After 100 hours of run time, the US Army has completed its first trial of a new engine that will power the Apache, Black Hawk, and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), according to a press release.
Through the First Engine to Test, the army demonstrated the capability of the first-ever T901 engine built by GE Aviation.
In 2019, GE was granted $517 million by the agency’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) after beating out the T900 model by Honeywell International Inc. and Pratt & Whitney’s Advanced Turbine Engine Company, according to a report by Interesting Engineering.
GE T901 Engine’s Specifications
The T901 is a 3,000 shaft horsepower centerline engine designed to fit in the nacelle compartment of the Black Hawk, Apache, and FARA choppers.
The engine is expected to improve the fuel efficiency, power capacity, and reliability of the military helicopters. The success of the ITEP assessment could also “increase reach and lethality on the battlefield,” the agency added.
The new engine is part of the US Army’s “Multi-Domain Operations versus Near-Peer Competitors” program.
US Army Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie, Jr. announced that the T901 engines will be integrated into two choppers later this year, Breaking Defense reported.
“We are targeting November of this year for delivery of the first engines to the two FARA competitors. We are on track for that,” Barrie said.