GE celebrates 40 years powering Sikorsky's H-60 Black Hawk, submits ITEP final proposal revision

GE Aviation congratulates Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, on the 40 th anniversary of the Black Hawk. Sikorsky delivered the first H-60 Black Hawk, powered by GE's T700 engine, on October 31, 1978, to answer the US Army's call for a new helicopter and powerplant capable of significant performance and reliability improvements with reduced lifecycle costs. Today, more than 4,000 GE-powered Black Hawk aircraft of all types are in service worldwide.

To commemorate 40 years of powering Black Hawk mission success, GE held a UH-60M fly-in and corresponding ceremony at its Lynn, Mass., facility. "At the very heart of the UH-60 Black Hawk is the T700—a key component that enables Army pilots to complete their missions safely," said Dana Fiatarone, Vice President of Army and Air Force Programs for Sikorsky. "Thank you to all those who touch the production of the T700 engine. You have been a fantastic partner to Sikorsky on the Black Hawk for many years. We do not take your role in the success of this aircraft lightly."

Through continuous upgrades and technology advancements, GE has doubled the power of derivative engines in the T700 family over its lifetime and reduced its cost to the government by 50 percent.

Coincidentally, GE Aviation also submitted its final proposal revision (FPR) for the US Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) on Oct. 31. GE is offering its XT901-GE-900 engine for ITEP, the US Army's endeavor to re-engine its Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawks and Boeing AH-64 Apaches. The Army is also expecting the ITEP engine to meet Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft requirements for Future Vertical Lift (FVL). Army Contracting Command (ACC), based at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., plans to down select to one engine manufacturer for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase in the next few months.

"The success of the single-spool T700 over the past 40 years is a strong prediction for the future success of the single-spool T901 for ITEP," said Harry Nahatis, Vice President of GE Aviation's turboshaft engine business. "By using GE's industry leading technologies, rather than mechanical complexity, the T700 has grown to keep pace with H-60 power demand without sacrificing reliability, lifecycle cost, and ultimately Warfighter readiness. Full modularity, only capable in a single-spool core design, offers superior growth potential at a lower cost through incremental improvements to engine modules."