Farnborough,UK -- MTU Aero Engines has set another first: Germany's leading engine manufacturer has secured for itself an 18 percent role as a program participant in the GE38 helicopter engine.
"For the first time, MTU acts as a development participant in a U.S. military engine program," declares MTU CEO Egon Behle.
In previous U.S. military engine programs, MTU has been involved in manufacturing roles only. Under the GE38 deal, the German engine builder will be responsible mainly for the power turbine module and moreover have the license for maintenance, final assembly and testing as well as MRO for the GE38 models used in European heavy lift helicopters.
The first application of the GE38 is the CH-53K helicopter from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, powered by three engines; 156 helicop-ters are planned to replace the CH-53E SUPER STALLIONTM heli-copters, not including foreign military sales or other potential U.S. armed forces opportunities. The agreement between GE and MTU also covers the European Heavy Transport Helicopter (HTH). MTU and General Electric (GE) see a potential of up to 6,000 engines, covering a variety of other turboshaft and turboprop applications.
Behle notes: "For us, this means revenues of about two billion euros over the life of the program of about 30 years."
Capable of producing more than 7,500 shaft-horsepower at sea level, the GE38 draws upon technologies from the GE27 Modern Technology Demonstrator Engine program for the U.S. military and the T407 turboprop engine developed for the U.S. Navy. Component rig tests of GE's GE38 turboshaft engine are starting this month in preparation for First Engine to Test (FETT) in early 2009.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company, is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power and me-chanical systems for aircraft. GE also is a global provider of main-tenance and support services for operators of GE engines. The GE38 is part of GE's successful family of turboprop and turboshaft engines that has accumulated more than 80 million operating hours worldwide.
MTU Aero Engines is a firmly established player in the engine in-dustry. Having carved out a technology leadership role, the company excels in high-pressure compressors, low-pressure turbines, engine control units, and manufacturing and repair techniques. The company has some 7,100 employees globally and in fiscal year 2007 had sales of nearly 2.6 billion euros. MTU Maintenance is the largest independent provider of commercial engine maintenance services worldwide. In the military arena, MTU is Germany's industrial lead company for practically all engines flown by the country's armed forces.