LYNN, Mass. -- The U.S. Army ordered 18 new AH-64D Apache Longbow multi-role combat helicopters in April that will benefit from upgraded in-fleet GE engines.
These Boeing aircraft will be equipped with existing T700 engines by the Army at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD). These engines will be converted from original T700-701 or -701C engines to -701D engines and will also utilize controls featured in -701C models.
The conversion kits will be produced in GE's Lynn Product Development & Delivery facility, shipped to CCAD and converted with the help of the GE team on site. This represents leveraging technology and continuous product improvement in action.
Aviation provides upgrade kits to convert a -701 to -701D, a -701C to -701D, and a kit identified for the -700 to -701D conversion. (The -700 conversion is not on the CCAD and AMCOM schedule until 2009.) GE-Lynn will produce over 600 kits in 2007 and is planning to produce the same amount in 2008-under this initiative that started in late 2005.
This is a prime example of the benefits inherent in the commonality of the T700 engine family," said Scott Reed, director - U.S. Military Programs. "We are able to offer this upgrade as a cost-effective, timely option to our customer."
Boeing signed a $276 million contract that raises to 45 the number of new-build Apache Longbows on order with the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army also recently contracted for the remanufacture of 120 AH-64A Apaches into AH-64Ds.
The U.S. Army uses the Apache Longbow to fulfill attack helicopter and reconnaissance requirements. Featuring fully integrated avionics and weapons, plus state-of-the-art digital communications capabilities, the Apache Longbow can rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage stationary and moving opposition targets at standoff ranges in nearly all weather environments.
The T700 engine and its civil counterpart, the CT7, have amassed more than 50 million flight-hours powering 21 different aircraft models in service throughout the world. T700-powered aircraft accounted for nearly 70 percent of the U.S. Army's flight-hours in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft. GE also is a global provider of maintenance and support services for operators of GE jet engines.