LE BOURGET - General Electric Company (GE) continues to enhance the performance, reliability and durability of its in-service T700/CT7 engine family while developing new, more powerful models to meet current and future requirements.
GE's line of T700/CT7 engines continues to grow. In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration granted type certification to new models of GE's CT7-8 turboshaft engine, including the CT7-8A, -8B, -8E and -8F. These new models remain the only FAA-certified engines in the 2600-shaft horsepower (shp) class available for today's medium-lift helicopters.
CT7-8 engines were selected to power the Lockheed Martin-led Team US101 Presidential helicopter, while CT7-8A turboshaft engines will power three new Sikorsky S-92 helicopters ordered by the Republic of Korea for its presidential mission. Shipment of engines to Sikorsky will begin in 2006, with helicopter deliveries scheduled for 2007.
CT7-8 engines feature an advanced, higher-flow compressor designed with new three-dimensional aerodynamic (3D Aero) technology, a modern full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system, plus hot-section and turbine components proven in millions of flight hours on GE's family of turboshaft engines.
Initial T700-401C engines for new production UH-1Y aircraft to support the Marine utility mission were shipped in mid-April. The -401C models powering the UH-1Y utility variant provide up to 20 percent more power. The -401C is also being considered for the AH-1Z Super Cobra attack helicopter.
The T700-701D engine, rated at 2000 shp, has been awarded U.S. Army qualification and is now in production. Initial engines were shipped in December 2004 to power Black Hawk aircraft.
The -701D features improved hot-section components that provide twice the hot section durability and 5% more power than the current T700-GE-701C model engine. The U.S. Army has also announced plans to convert to the T700-701D to power its entire Apache and Black Hawk helicopter fleets.
The T700 engine and its military counterpart, the CT7, have amassed more than 50 million flight-hours powering 21 different aircraft models in service throughout the world, and T700-powered aircraft accounted for nearly 70 percent of the U.S. Army's flight-hours in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
GE Transportation - Aircraft Engines, a part of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft.