Skip to main content

US Army and GE Aviation sign cooperative agreements for advanced helicopter engine technology development

June 02, 2014

LYNN, Mass. - The U.S. Army and GE Aviation signed five cooperative agreements to advance technology development for GE's next-generation turboshaft engine designs. To date, GE has made substantial investments in advanced turboshaft engine technology, including the new GE3000 engine for Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.

Earlier this year, GE completed testing its second GE3000 engine in cooperation with the Army's Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program, which aims to improve fuel efficiency by 25 percent, lower acquisition and maintenance costs by 35 percent, extend engine life by 20 percent and increase power to weight by 65 percent compared to GE's T700 engine. Additional testing is now scheduled to continue through 2015 following the extension of the AATE cooperative agreement.

In addition to the AATE announcement, the Army extended GE's development work on the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program, which incorporates additive manufactured components as part of future technology demonstrations. The Army and GE will also cooperate on other pursuits, including the Advanced Variable Speed Power Turbine (AVSPOT), Autonomous Sustainment Technology for Rotorcraft Operations (ASTRO) and Alternative Engine Concepts Design and Analysis (AECDA) programs.

"GE Aviation committed unprecedented research and development funds to mature our advanced turboshaft engine technologies, which are designed to meet the Army's aggressive performance, weight and cost targets," said Harry Nahatis, GE Aviation's general manager of advanced turboshaft programs. "These Army technology development agreements will help us improve on the unmatched performance and reliability of our T700 engine by using first-of-their-kind material and manufacturing technologies like ceramic matrix composites and additive manufactured components."

GE's advanced turboshaft program is bolstered by the company's record R&D investment in its expanding engine portfolio, including more than $1 billion spent annually to develop engine technologies such asadvanced manufacturing methods and materials, cooling effectiveness, and 3D aerodynamic designs which can be used in future military and commercial engines.

*Ceramic matrix composites (CMC). GE leads the jet propulsion industry in CMC technologies. The GE3000 turbine will incorporate CMC components in the turbine. More durable and heat resistant than metal alloys, CMCs allow less cooling air to be diverted into the engine's hot section, thus improving engine efficiency.

GE's CMC maturation is well underway with more than 1 million hours of testingcompleted in 2013. As part of its advanced helicopter engine technology development, GE is aggressively demonstrating CMCs throughout the hot section. GE is running CMCs in the first LEAP engine being developed by CFM International (a joint company of GE and Snecma) for the booming narrow-body aircraft market. The LEAP is the first commercial jet engine with hot-section CMC components. In addition to the GE3000 and LEAP engines, GE is running hot-section CMC components in other military demonstrator engines currently on test in Cincinnati, Ohio.

GE Aviation also leads the propulsion industry in CMC manufacturing. Its CMC "lean laboratory" in Newark, Delaware, where CMC production methods are being matured, is expanding, at the same time GE is constructing a $125 million CMC factory in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Click here to see how GE manufactures CMC materials.

*Compressor 3-D Aerodynamics. The GE3000 has a single-spool gas generator to create significant maintenance, reliability and overall cost advantages. For this more-simple design to achieve the AATE goals, GE is applying breakthrough 3D aero codes developed for the LEAP, the GEnx (which powers the Boeing 787), and other military demonstrator engines. GE has the world's highest pressure-ratio compressors for jet engines.

*Additive Manufacturing. With the 2012 acquisition of Morris Technologies, a world leader in 3D additive manufacturing, GE Aviation has moved aggressively into additive manufacturing. The LEAP engine has incorporated intricate fuel nozzle tips into its combustor – technologies that required the additive manufacturing process. GE has incorporated additive manufactured components into its AATE and FATE programs. Click here to learn how additive manufacturing (3-D printing) is changing how GE builds jet engine components.

GE's turboshaft production locations include: Lynn, MA; Rutland, VT; Hookset, NH; Madisonville, KY; Dayton, OH; Muskegon, MI; Asheville, NC; Jacksonville, FL.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power, and mechanical systems for aircraft. GE Aviation also has a global service network to support these offerings.