{"id":36423,"date":"2019-02-02T02:08:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T02:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/02\/general-electric-wins-517-million-contract-to-build-engines-for-armys-next-generation-helicopters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:57:55","slug":"general-electric-wins-517-million-contract-to-build-engines-for-armys-next-generation-helicopters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/02\/02\/general-electric-wins-517-million-contract-to-build-engines-for-armys-next-generation-helicopters\/","title":{"rendered":"General Electric wins $517 million contract to build engines for Army\u2019s next generation helicopters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 General Electric Aviation beat the Advanced Turbine Engine Company \u2014 a Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney team \u2014 to win the $517 million award for the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the Improved Turbine Engine Program, or ITEP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are honored to be chosen by the Army to continue powering their Black Hawks and Apaches for decades to come,\u201d said Tony Mathis, president and CEO of GE Aviation\u2019s military business. \u201cWe\u2019ve invested the resources and infrastructure to execute immediately, and our team is ready to get to work on delivering the improved capabilities of the T901 to the warfighter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fierce competition started more than a decade ago, and its outcome will influence Army rotorcraft for decades to come. GE\u2019s T901 engine is now set to replace the T700 used by the Army\u2019s legacy utility and attack helicopters, but could also potentially outfit the Army\u2019s next generation reconnaissance helicopter in the Future Vertical Lift family of systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe requirements documents for the [Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft] specifies the ITEP engine. It has got the FVL stamp of approval,\u201d Jim Thomson, Jr., acting deputy director for the Army\u2019s future vertical lift cross functional team, told Defense News in a recent interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ITEP answers a number of problems that emerged as the Army operated Apaches and Black Hawks during combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The AH-64 and UH-60 became heavier as the service added armor and other upgrades during wartime, and they flew in hotter conditions and higher altitudes than would normally be optimal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe helicopters were originally designed to work at 4,000 feet on a 95-degree day, and they were flying them much higher than that,\u201d Mike Sousa, GE\u2019s business development leader for advanced turboshaft engines, told Defense News in December 2018. \u201cWhen you do that, you just don\u2019t have as much power from the engine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t