GE Aerospace T901 Engine to Fly with Black Hawk Helicopters

GE Aerospace’s new turboshaft engine, which will succeed T701 turboshaft engines, is planned to make its first flight onboard the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter next year. According to a report from Defense News, the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, which will be equipped with the same engine as the UH-60 Black Hawk, is expected to see a significant boost in its capabilities. This will occur once the engine completes its flight tests. The engine was previously planned to be used in the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) next-generation attack and reconnaissance helicopter programme. Following the cancellation because of high costs and the inclination to use UCAVs for armed reconnaissance missions, the focus on T901’s usage has shifted. Before the cancellation, Sikorsky ran the engine on the ground onboard its built FARA prototype, Raider X, this month. T901 was developed within the scope of the ITEP programme, aiming to obtain a more powerful replacement for the long-serving T701 line of engines. Compared to T701, which can produce a 2000 to 2500 shp power depending on variant, T901 is rated at 3000 shp. In addition to a higher power rating, the engine is stated to have higher fuel efficiency and fewer parts. A more powerful engine can be highly contributive, particularly for the Black Hawk line of utility helicopters, by increasing the lifting capacity and range through its higher power and efficiency. The willingness to upgrade UH-60 and AH-64 helicopters also means that the U.S. plans to keep them in service for a considerable amount of time, even though it selected Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor, the winner of the FLRAA programme, to succeed UH-60 and potentially AH-64 in a different configuration.