EVENDALE, Ohio - The GE growth T700 turboshaft engine has successfully completed altitude testing that demonstrated all required performance rating conditions at altitudes ranging from sea level to 20,000 feet and at temperatures of -40° to 135°F.
During the testing, the engine, which is designed to produce 2,500 shaft horsepower (shp), attained power levels exceeding 3,000 shp. In addition, the engine demonstrated unrestricted throttle movement throughout the envelope and readily met and surpassed the 30-second one-engine-inoperative power requirement under all conditions.
Next on the agenda for the engine is flight testing, scheduled to begin later this year in its T700/T6E configuration. Flight testing of the CT7-8, the civil counterpart of the T700/T6E, is to begin in 1998, with certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration targeted for 1999.
The T700/T6E and CT7-8 engines are being co-developed by Alfa Romeo Avio, FiatAvio, and GE Aircraft Engines, with Hamilton Standard providing the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Electronic Control) system. Turboshaft applications include the new NH Industries NH90 and Sikorsky S-92 helicopters and, potentially, derivatives of the EH Industries EH101, Sikorsky Black Hawk, and McDonnell Douglas Apache helicopters. Potential turboprop applications include derivatives of the Saab 340, CASA/IPTN CN235, and Let L610 aircraft.
Under the terms of a recently signed memorandum of understanding, MTU Munchen, a Daimler-Benz Aerospace affiliate, is to co-produce the T700/T6E engine for the NH90.
Current turboshaft and turboprop engines in the T700/CT7 family power 24 types of civil and military helicopters, regional airliners, military transports, and multipurpose aircraft throughout the world. To date, more than 10,000 T700/CT7 engines have accumulated more than 25 million flight hours, often in extreme environments, while maintaining a reputation for outstanding reliability.
Louis A. Bevilacqua, general manager of the Turboshaft/Turboprop Project Department of GE Aircraft Engines, said, "This new T700 growth engine incorporates advanced, but proven, technologies that have enabled us to achieve significant shaft horsepower gains and improved specific fuel consumption while retaining the reliability and durability features that have made T700/CT7 engines such a success."