Black Hawk program receives improved turbine engine with CMC

In late June, GE Aerospace (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) accepted two T901-GE-900 engines from the U.S. Army for the Improved Turbine Engine Program’s (ITEP) UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter integration and testing. The rotorcraft engines use 3D modeling, additive manufacturing (AM), ceramic matrix composites (CMC) and traditionally manufactured components to generate a 1,000 shaft horsepower (shp) increase in power from the current GE T700 engine while remaining approximately the same size and weight. Black Hawk manufacturer, Sikorsky (Stratford, Conn., U.S.), will begin installing and instrumenting the engines to prepare for ground test runs in fiscal year 2025.

“This delivery represents the beginning of a new era and a pivotal moment in our ongoing work with the U.S. Army,” says Amy Gowder, president and CEO, Defense & Systems, at GE Aerospace. “The T901 engine will ensure warfighters will have the performance, power and reliability necessary to maintain a significant advantage on the battlefield.”

In October 2023, the Army delivered two flight test engines to the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competitive prototype effort, marking the first acceptance of the T901 engine into the Army’s inventory. Sikorsky then integrated the T901 into its Raider-X aircraft and conducted ground runs in April 2024. The ground runs served as an opportunity to mitigate risk for UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache integration and testing. The U.S. Army and GE Aerospace continue to make progress toward a Preliminary Flight Rating and remains on track to support Black Hawk ground test runs next year and flight qualification testing the following year.

The T901 is a 3,000-shp engine designed to fit within the current UH-60M engine compartment footprint via a modular design carried over from the T700. It will improve Black Hawk combat capabilities by providing increased range and loiter times, reduced fuel consumption and decreased logistical burden. The modernized combat multiplier will ultimately expand Army aviation capabilities by enabling the utility helicopter fleet to dominate in large-scale combat operations. 

ITEP is part of the Aviation Turbine Engines Project Office (ATE PO), one of nine Program Executive Office, Aviation project offices. Located at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, the ATE PO is responsible for centrally managing the Army’s rotary wing turbine engine and electrical power capability for U.S. Army Aviation and coalition partners.