LE BOURGET - The status of T700/CT7 engines as the most popular engines in their class, with more than 11,400 produced for 133 customers in 57 countries throughout the world, continues to be reaffirmed.This past month, the government of Italy signed a production contract for T700/T6E1 turboshaft engines to power its entire fleet of NH90 helicopters. The T700/T6E1 engine was co-developed and is being co-produced by GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) and FiatAvio.GEAE and FiatAvio, with Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) of Taiwan as a risk- and revenue-sharing participant, are also co-producing the civil variant of the T700/T6E1, the CT7-8. The newest, most powerful addition to the T700/CT7 family, the CT7-8 has been selected as the powerplant for the Sikorsky S-92 advanced medium helicopter.The CT7-8 was also selected, in March of this year, as the powerplant for the eight-engine CargoLifter CL160 Airship.The CT7-8 was certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last year, and certification by the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) is targeted for mid-2001. Production engine shipments are to begin in 2002.CT7-6A turboshaft engines powering civil variants of the EH Industries EH101 helicopter, and T700/T6A and T700/T6A1 engines powering military variants are currently in service with the Italian Navy, Canada's Department of National Defense, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Last year, the CT7-6A, the engine certified to power the civil EH101, powered two of the aircraft in cold weather/icing flight testing in Canada and Alaska, and CT7-6As powered two aircraft in an Intensive Flight Operation Program (IFOP) conducted in Aberdeen, Scotland.The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is re-engining its fleet of UH-1N helicopters with T700-401 turboshaft engines as part of its program to upgrade them to the "4BN" or UH-1Y configuration, which will be equipped with a four-bladed rotor, an improved tail rotor and an increased-rating transmission. USMC AH-1W helicopters will be similarly upgraded to the "4BW" or AH-1Z configuration and will continue to be powered by T700-401 engines.The U.S. Army's recently announced program to upgrade its fleet of UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the UH-60M configuration includes upgrading the aircraft's T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines, using GE upgrade kits, to the T700-GE-701C configuration, to increase engine power and enhance engine reliability and durability.In a move to enhance maintenance of the T700 family of engines, GEAE has entered into a strategic alliance with the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) and Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) to bring together the overhaul and repair expertise of CCAD and GEAE's technical expertise as the OEM, in order to increase production rates and reduce turnaround times at CCAD and increase the time between required overhaul of GEAE engines overhauled at CCAD.