The Army has started accepting the new General Electric Aviation [GE]-built T901 helicopter engine, with the service on track to deliver the system to the companies building Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototypes by the end of October.
The milestone for the GE T901 engine, developed under Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), follows several delays due to manufacturing challenges that pushed the timeline by nearly a year.
The Army on Wednesday said it accepted the first T901 engine from GE on Sept. 28, with the second engine “currently going through the acceptance process.”
GE Aviation was awarded a $517 million contract in February 2019 to develop its T901 engine for ITEP, which will eventually power the Army’s AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as well as the future FARA platform.
“The T901’s fuel efficiency will improve the Army’s enduring aircraft fleet’s range, loiter time, and fuel consumption and restore high hot 6k/95-degree operational capability. The engine’s reliability and increased life expectancy also reduces maintenance and sustainment costs,” the Army said in a statement.
Both Bell [TXT] and Sikorsky [LMT], the two competitors building FARA prototypes, confirmed on Wednesday that they expect to receive the T901 engines this month, which will power their aircraft offerings in flight testing expected to begin next year.
“We’re expecting delivery of the engine later in October. As soon as we receive it, we will be able to immediately start the installation process in advance of ground testing and eventually flight testing,” Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky, said in a statement. “GE Aerospace provided a 3D printed mockup of the engine, which we fit into the Raider X prototype earlier this year. We have every expectation that when we receive the engine, it will go in as planned.”
The Army has previously said after delivery to Bell and Sikorsky this fall, the GE ITEP engines will go through initial flight qualification to begin test activities leading into first FARA flights next year.
Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition chief, told lawmakers in April the ITEP engine delay has pushed back the FARA schedule by around eight months, with a Milestone B decision now planned for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 (Defense Daily, April 20).