MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - Testing required for certification of GE's new CT7-8 turboshaft engine by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is under way at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, Ontario.
The Canadian Transport Authority has been delegated by the FAA to oversee some aspects of the official testing, which includes foreign object, ice and water ingestion tests.
The CT7-8, which features a full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system and advanced-technology turbomachinery, is the sole powerplant being certified for the twin-engine Sikorsky S-92 Helibus.
Last year, another T700 derivative, the T700/T6A1, was selected to power the Cormorant, Canada's new search and rescue helicopter. The engines will be assembled and tested in Canada by ACRO Aerospace of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the engine program will be managed by GE Canada in Mississauga, Ontario.
The T700/CT7 family of military/civil turboshaft and turboprop engines has demonstrated exceptional reliability accumulating a total of 30 million flight hours in a variety of environments, including 3 million flight hours in maritime service with the U.S. Navy. T700/CT7 engines are the most widely used engines in their class, with more than 11,000 produced to power 24 models of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for 129 customers in 54 countries throughout the world.
GE Canada employs more than 9,500 people at 12 major manufacturing plants and 150 service locations throughout Canada. GE's facility at Bromont, Quebec, a world leader in the manufacture of aircraft engine components, has been producing gas turbine airfoils for nearly 15 years for commercial operators worldwide. GE Canada engines power over 60 percent of the Department of National Defense (DND) aircraft and a majority of the commercial airline fleets of Canada.