Baveno, Italy - GE's new CT7-9C3 turboprop engine has completed all testing and is meeting all program milestones required for certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), targeted for the first quarter of 1998.

Rated in the 1900 shaft horsepower class, the -9C3 engine offers a power increase of approximately 5 percent and improved hot/high altitude performance, compared with current CT7-9 models. The -9C3 is fully interchangeable with existing CT7-9 installations on Saab 340B, CASA CN-235, IPTN CN-235, and Let L-610G aircraft.

The - 9C3 performance increases are attributed to the incorporation of an advanced centrifugal compressor, which completed certification testing at GE's Lynn, Massachusetts, facility during the second quarter of this year. The - 9C3 is compatible with a 12-foot, four-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller, forming an engine/propeller combination that will produce 15 percent more thrust at takeoff and 5 percent more thrust at cruise.

The first applications for the CT7-9C3 are the CN-235-300 to be produced by CASA in Spain and the CN-235-330 to be produced by IPTN in Indonesia.

GE is also on contract with Let, of Kunovice, Czech Republic, for a CT7-9D2 variant, optimized with a different flat rating to power the 40-passenger Let L-610G airliner.

CT7-9C3 and -9D2 engine deliveries will begin in 1998.