GE Aerospace announced the acceptance of two T901-GE-900 engines by the U.S. Army for the Improved Turbine Engine Program’s UH-60 Black Hawk integration and testing. The next-generation rotorcraft engines were unboxed during a ceremony at Sikorsky’s facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the first ever ground run of an aircraft powered by a T901 engine. In April, a T901 engine successfully powered Sikorsky’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype, Raider X, gathering data to support the engine integration into the service’s UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache. The T901 engine was built on GE Aerospace’s unparalleled experience powering the Black Hawk and Apache for the past four decades with its combat-proven T700 engine, a run that has resulted in more than 100 million flight hours.
“Our team is immensely proud to announce the latest T901 deliveries to the U.S. Army,” said Tom Champion, GE Aerospace’s T901 program director. “At every stage, these engines have demonstrated a level of performance that will undoubtedly help meet the demands of military missions for decades to come.”
“This delivery represents the beginning of a new era and a pivotal moment in our ongoing work with the U.S. Army,” said Amy Gowder, president and CEO, Defense & Systems at GE Aerospace. “The T901 engine will ensure warfighters will have the performance, power, and reliability necessary to maintain a significant advantage on the battlefield.”
The T901 was developed in response to a need from the U.S. Army for increased power and reduced fuel consumption. The T901 design draws from an impressive stack of commercial technologies, including 3D-modeling, the use of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), and 3D-printed (additive) parts. The use of CMCs and additive manufacturing enables the engine to produce more power with less weight. Another notable design feature of the T901 is the engine’s modular design, an aspect that was carried over from the T700. The modular design is one key to the T901’s low cost, reliability, maintainability, and reduced life-cycle costs. Through the application of this proven modular architecture, the T901 can easily integrate with the Army’s existing helicopters and sustainment philosophy while exceeding performance requirements.
GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 44,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines. GE Aerospace both manufactures engines under its name and partners with other manufacturers to produce engines. CFM International, the world’s leading supplier of aircraft engines and GE’s most successful partnership, is a 50/50 joint venture with the French company Safran Aircraft Engines. As of 2020, CFM International holds 39% of the world’s commercial aircraft engine market share (while GE Aerospace itself holds a further 14%). GE Aerospace’s main competitors in the engine market are Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. With a global team of 52,000 employees building on more than a century of innovation and learning, GE Aerospace is committed to inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely.
