GE Aviation unveiled an all-new 1,300 shaft horse power (SHP)-rated turboprop engine at the 2015 National Business Aviation Association’...
GE Aviation unveiled an all-new 1,300 shaft horse power (SHP)-rated turboprop engine at the 2015 National Business Aviation Association’s annual trade show.
The engine is the first member in GE’s new family of turboprop engines aimed at Business and General Aviation aircraft in the 850-1,600 SHP range, that will take on the dominance of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine.
The first customer for the engine was also announced at the show. Textron Aviation has selected the engine to power its new disclosed clean-sheet single engine turboprop (SETP) aircraft.
This new engine features an industry-best 16:1 overall pressure ratio (OPR), enabling the engine to achieve up to 20% lower fuel burn and 10% higher cruise power compared to competitor offerings in the same size class with 4000-6000 hour MTBO and class-leading performance retention.
The engine will enable Textron Aviation SETP to have a range of more than 1,500 nautical miles and speeds higher than 280 knots.
Key features of the engine include a ruggedized, modular architecture based on the T700/CT7 turbo shaft, All-titanium 3D aero compressor design, cooled turbine blades enabling higher thrust and fuel efficiency, Additive manufactured structural components for reduced weight and integrated electronic propulsion control for optimized single-lever engine and propeller control.
GE expects to conduct the detailed design review (DDR) for the new turboprop in 2017 followed by the first full engine test in 2018.
Development, testing and production of new turboprop engine will occur at GE Aviation’s new turboprop Center of Excellence in Europe, announced this past September.
The new facility will represent an investment exceeding $400 million and ultimately support 500 – 1,000 new jobs.
