The US Army’s small fleet of special operations Black Hawk helicopters will get a propulsion upgrade in the coming years.
As the service begins the process of testing and integrating the latest GE Aerospace T901 turboshaft with the standard Sikorsky UH-60M helicopter, US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) says it plans to also field the new engine for the army’s MH-60 special mission Black Hawks.
Speaking at the annual SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida on 8 May, the MH-60 product manager for SOCOM revealed plans to field the T901 on the MH-60 fleet, once the army has certificated the new engine for the standard UH-60.
“It would be really nice to not have our own engine on this tiny, tiny fleet,” says Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Keogh.
Flown by the US Army’s famous 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the MH-60 variant of the Black Hawk is powered by two GE Aerospace YT706 engines, rather than the GE T700 turboshafts that power the standard UH-60s.
The YT706 is variant of the T700 that offers 30% greater power, according to GE, and includes a full authority digital engine control.
Keogh notes the different choice of engine is due to the higher gross weight of the 160th’s MH-60s, which operate at higher gross weight than their conventional cousins.
SOCOM undertakes significant modifications to the standard UH-60 airframe to create its two MH-60 variants: a troop-carrying assault version and the highly specialised Defensive Armed Penetrator gunship. In addition to the supplemental armaments, MH-60s are equipped with terrain following radar and aerial refuelling probes.
“All that mission equipment adds weight to the airframe,” Keogh notes. “We’ve got this really heavy aircraft. The engines only make so much power, so we’ve got bigger engines.”
He notes the MH-60 powerplants have not yet completed a formal qualification, hence the “YT” designation. However, Keough describes the system as a “very qualified engine” nonetheless.
While a conventional military unit would not normally operate an uncertificated system as a matter of course, Keough says the critical nature of 160th mission and the high skill level of its pilots safely allow for the practise.
“We are able to accept a higher level of risk in order to provide capability for our highly trained users,” he notes. “The best pilots in the world.”
Sikorsky began ground testing the new T901 powerplant in January, integrating two of the engines on a standard UH-60M at the company’s flight development centre at West Palm Beach, Florida.
Those turboshafts will eventually replace the current GE Aerospace T700s that power each of the army’s 2,300 UH-60s.
The new 3,000shp (2,240kW) T901 engine will increase the UH-60’s available power by 50%, Sikorsky notes, while also improving fuel efficiency.
The current T700 powerplant offers 2,000shp.
The YT706 that powers the small fleet of MH-60 special operations helicopters is rated at 2,600shp, according to GE Aerospace.
UPDATE 10 May:
The US Army on 9 May cancelled development of the T901 turborshaft under the Improved Turbine Engine Program.
GE Aerospace says it will continue test and development work on the new engine under the existing contract, which includes a flight test aboard a Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk later this year.
The army says it will not fund full procurement of the T901.
However, US Special Operations Command operates its own separate procurement system and could still elect to pursue a propulsion upgrade for the MH-60 Black Hawk fleet independently from the conventional US Army.
