Why ITEP? The T901 Improved Turbine Engine is critical to MDO.

Courtesy Photo | LTG Robert Marion, MILDEP ASA(ALT) discusses with Aviation Turbine Engines Project Manager Ms. Gina Bublitz the displayed T901 engine components that General Electric additively manufactures, as ITEP Product Manager LTC Kelley Nalley and ITEP Assistant Product Manager MAJ Wes Paulsen observe. Photo by Cindy Mitchell/GE Released  

REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, UNITED STATES

05.03.2023

Story by Cindy Mitchell 

Program Executive Office, Aviation

The Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) provides Army Aviation the power to operate in Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) with longer range and endurance, providing ground forces the opportunity to fight when and where they choose by regaining lost high/hot capability along with delivering improved operational performance in a modular design.
ITEP is developing the T901-GE-900 (T901) as the next generation replacement engine for the AH-64E Apache and the UH-60M/V and HH-60M Black Hawk aircraft as well as the engine to power the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA).

Critical to MDO: Regained High/Hot Capability

Growth of aircraft weight has increased as survivability and capability have been added in the past four decades of T700 operation. This weight has led to growth in power of the T700, culminating with the current T700-GE-701D engine. The T901 is an entirely new engine design that will enable the platforms to regain lost capability by providing 50% more shaft horsepower at sea level standard conditions and expanding the aircraft envelope to allow full mission performance up to 6K/95F high and hot conditions.
Aircraft equipped with the T901 will have the ability to operate in the most austere conditions to enable Army Aviation to continue supporting Soldiers where needed and bring them home safely.

Improved Operational Performance

The T901 brings improved operational performance. Greater range and endurance is achieved without increasing the logistics foot print. Aircraft will have more time on wing between maintenance cycles because of the engine’s use of high-performance materials, the extensive array of sensors equipping each to communicate engine health, and a design that is better equipped to eliminate ingested sand.
Engine performance is increased while weight remains essentially the same, which is facilitated by using high performance materials including Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) and Additive Manufacturing (AM). CMCs serve to reduce total weight while enabling more efficient engine operation. CMCs are made through a combination of silicon carbide and coatings, for much lighter engine components that can withstand higher pressures and hotter temperatures than metals. AM also serves to increase engine performance, offering a more complex part geometry that can be optimized for performance with less constraints from the manufacturing process.
The T901 Engine Health Management System (EHMS) monitors engine system and component performance through an extensive array of sensors to support the U.S. Army’s Prognostic and Predictive Maintenance (PPMx) program. EHMS will increase the time on wing for any life-limited components by monitoring actual life consumption of the part during operation rather than using an assigned number of flight hours to determine replacement. These PPMx insights will support the Soldier by enabling proactive engine maintenance planned around critical missions and reduce the logistics burden, while the PPMx attributes will help improve reliability and maintenance effectiveness on both the enduring and future fleets of helicopters.
Engine ingestion of sand can become problematic in certain areas of the world. Sand erodes engine components, resulting in decreased engine power and increased engine overhauls. The T901 design incorporates improvements focused on more efficient sand elimination. Engine components will last longer because the engine more effectively expels the sand it will inevitably ingest while operating in certain parts of the world.

Modular Design

The modular hardware architecture of the T901 allows for the removal, repair, or replacement of engine modules and components at the field level. This concept will allow Soldiers to quickly repair the engine and reduce the number of whole engines sent back for repair. In the field, combat flexible modular maintenance means aircraft can be re-engaged faster.

ITEP

The Army’s T901 engine provides soldiers the MDO capabilities needed to fly farther and higher and with a reduced logistics footprint. With the T901, Army Aviation will be prepared to operate in any environment, regaining 6K/95F flight capability which support worldwide operation while allowing for greater range and endurance along with improvements to logistics.
The Aviation Turbine Engines Project Office (ATE PO) is one of 10 Program Executive Office, Aviation project offices. Located at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., 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. Cindy Mitchell is an Avion Solutions employee supporting the ATE PO for strategic communications.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2023
• Date Posted: 05.03.2023 16:13
• Story ID: 443971
• Location: REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, US