GE Celebrates 40 Years Of Building Black Hawk Engines

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GE recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the delivery of the first Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to the U.S. Army. GE provided the T700 engine in that first model and has continually upgraded the engine since then. (Photo courtesy of GE Aviation.)

Sikorsky’s H-60 Black Hawk helicopter is among the most respected aircraft in modern aviation, well known for the numerous combat, disaster, and rescue missions it has completed. Sikorsky delivered the first Black Hawk (powered by a GE T700 engine) to the U.S. Army on Oct. 31, 1978; 40 years later, GE and Sikorsky honored that delivery with a fly-in ceremony at GE’s facility in Lynn, Massachusetts. Today, GE looks to a future in which it could outfit H-60 Black Hawks and Boeing AH-64 Apaches with its new XT901-GE-900 turboshaft engine.

At The Heart

Today, there are 4,000-plus Black Hawks in service worldwide, and as Sikorsky Vice President of Army and Air Force Programs Dana Fiatrone said at the fly-in ceremony, a T700 is at the “very heart” of all each one. In 1978, when GE delivered the initial production T700, Army Black Hawk program manager Col. Richard Kenyon challenged GE to “be responsive to the pilots, crew chiefs, and mechanics” moving forward. GE says continual upgrades and technological advancements enabled it to double the T700’s power over the years while reducing the government’s cost by 50 percent.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, says the U.S. Army is the largest operator of the Black Hawk today with 2,135 of the aircraft. Internationally, Sikorsky sells the helicopter under the S-70 designation; GE says roughly 30 countries use the aircraft for military and commercial aviation support. The Black Hawk is expected to remain in operation into the 2070s, and GE hopes its T901 engine will power the helicopters until then.

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For 40 years, Black Hawk helicopters have used variants of GE’s T700 engine. The company recently submitted a final proposal revision for its new XT901 engine to potentially power future Black Hawk models and Boeing AH-64 Apaches. (Photo courtesy of GE Aviation.)

The T901

On Oct. 31, GE Aviation provided a final proposal revision for the T901 to the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), an “endeavor to re-engine” H-60 Black Hawks and AH-64 Apaches. Notably, the Army expects the new ITEP engine to meet “Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft” requirements for Future Vertical Lift applications. In the coming months, the Army Contracting Command is expected to select an engine manufacturer. GE says the single-spool T901 meets all ITEP requirements “with fewer parts, a simpler design, and proven, reliable technology.” In addition to GE, the Army is considering a bid from ATEC, a Pratt & Whitney-Honeywell consortium.

If you’re in the market for a piston or turbine helicopter, you’ll find a wide selection of new and used models for sale every day on Controller.com, including Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks.

Source: GE Aviation

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