LYNN, Massachusetts – Building upon their recent engine support agreement for offshore oil and gas operations, GE Aviation and Bristow Helicopters Ltd signed multiple engine service agreements for the CT7-2E1 and CT7-8A turboshaft engines powering the new, twin-engine AgustaWestland AW189 and Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, respectively. These agreements expand the long standing GE–Bristow partnership by adding Bristow's twenty-two aircraft Search and Rescue (SAR) fleet, supporting the UK SAR helicopter contract, to its global fleet of Maintenance Cost Per Hour (MCPHsm) service agreement maintained engines.
"Earlier this year, we concluded the first service agreement for the growing CT7-2E1 oil and gas fleet with Bristow. The GE-Bristow team has maintained that momentum for the UK SAR requirement by signing two new agreements supporting a large fleet of our CT7-2E1 and -8A engines well into the 2020's," said Ed Birtwell, vice president and general manager of Turboshaft Engines at GE Aviation. "The MCPH program has proven itself as a valuable customer solution and will serve Bristow and their customer well in the execution of this urgent operational mission."
Bristow relies on long-term strategic partnerships with their OEMs, and the CT7 turboshaft engine team at GE Aviation has consistently proven to be an asset to Bristow's operations. For the past seven years, GE's MCPH program has provided Bristow economical and predictable engine maintenance costs in support of their highly reliable CT7-8A engines powering Bristow's S-92 offshore oil and gas operations.
"The program, backed by OEM expertise, provides significant value to Bristow and to our customers," said John Cloggie Bristow's Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, adding: "GE's MCPH program meets our needs, from replacements parts and repairs, to overhauls and spare engines. This proven service program, combined with the excellent reliability of the CT7 engine family, contribute to ensuring that our power plants achieve high levels of operability. We are very pleased to extend this program coverage to the CT7-2E1 powering our new AW189 fleet and look forward to a continued good relationship with GE in support of our expanding operations."
The 2,500-shaft-horsepower-class CT7-8A and the 2,000-shaft-horsepower-class CT7-2E1 engines are leaders in GE's successful T700/CT7 family of turboprop and turboshaft engines, powering 25 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries.
Over 500 CT7-8As have been produced and are installed on over 225 Sikorsky S-92 helicopters. The CT7-2E1 is the latest civil-certified addition to the CT7/T700 family of engines and includes a full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system and state-of-the-art hot section materials for increased power, reliability and fuel savings. More than 30 GE CT7-2E1 engines have been produced for installation on the AW189 following U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine certifications in 2013.
The highly reliable T700/CT7 design has proven itself in harsh environments and has achieved over 90 million engine flight hours. The T700/CT7 has extensive experience in battlefield operations for the U.S. military and international militaries in a variety of combat and utility helicopter applications, as well as vast experience in a variety of commercial helicopter and fixed-wing applications.
GE's turboshaft production locations include: Lynn, MA (design, assembly, test); Rutland, VT (compressor vanes): Hookset, NH (blisks tubes, compressor vanes); Madisonville, KY (turbine blades, nozzles); Dayton, OH (tubes, brackets, ducts); Muskegon, MI (turbine shrouds, nozzles); Strother, Kansas (assembly, overhaul); Jacksonville, FL (electrical components).
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.
About Bristow Helicopters Ltd
Bristow Helicopters Ltd. has served the offshore oil transport industry in the UK for nearly 60 years. Bristow Helicopters Ltd. is an affiliated company of Bristow Group Inc.
Bristow Helicopters Ltd is the leading provider of search and rescue (SAR) services in the UK, on behalf of Her Majesty's Coastguard, having been awarded the UK SAR contract and the Gap SAR contract for Northern Scotland. Bristow Helicopters has a long history of providing world class SAR services in the UK, beginning in 1971 and has flown more than 44,000 SAR operational hours in the UK and conducted over 15,000 SAR missions, during which more than 7,000 people have been rescued by our crews and helicopters. For more information on Bristow's search and rescue operations, please visit www.bristowsar.com
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading provider of helicopter services to the worldwide offshore energy industry based on the number of aircraft operated and one of two helicopter service providers to the offshore energy industry with global operations. The company has major transportation operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.bristowgroup.com.