HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army has
announced that the Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC), a joint
venture of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney, has been awarded a
contract for preliminary design review of a new engine for the
Army's fleet of Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.
The two-year contract, part of the Army's Improved Turbine
Engine (ITE) program, will support the design of an advanced 3,000
shaft horsepower turbine engine -- ATEC's HPW3000.
The primary goal of the ITE program is to produce an affordable
new engine that will dramatically improve performance over the
current engine powering Black Hawk and Apache helicopters. The Army
specifications require that the new engine be 50 percent more
powerful, 25 percent more fuel efficient, and provide 20 percent
longer engine life over the current engine, while also meeting
stringent performance goals in high altitude and hot conditions at
6,000 feet and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
ATEC recently completed testing of two HPW3000 demonstrator
engines, which performed very well and have already validated
various program requirements, according to Craig Madden, president of ATEC.
"The HPW3000 underscores our dedication to developing an engine
that will support Army Aviation superiority over potential
adversaries," said Madden. "We are very confident in the engine
design and in the results we've seen in testing so far. With the
extensive improvements in helicopter performance it brings, the
HPW3000 will mean greater mission success and safety for U.S.
warfighters."
The HPW3000 features a dual-spool architecture and utilizes many
of the latest gas turbine engine technologies. The engine's
dual-spool architecture offers significant advantages, including
optimized engine efficiency, decreased maintenance costs, extended
engine life, and greater power growth capability – providing the
Army with maximum flexibility as mission requirements evolve and
change.
When factoring in savings from decreased fuel consumption and
lowered operating and support costs, the HPW3000 is expected to
offer potential annual savings of $1
billion, compared with the current engine in the Black Hawk
and Apache fleets.
"The advantages of the HPW3000 design mean that U.S warfighters
can have confidence that the engine will perform as intended and be
capable of performing throughout a wider range of operations," said
Jerry Wheeler, ATEC's vice president
for programs. "The American taxpayer can be assured that we are
committed to providing the safest, most affordable and capable
helicopter engine to the warfighter so that they can accomplish the
mission."
The Army's development schedule for the engine program calls for
the service to select from competing preliminary engine designs in
2018 and then proceed with a sole engine developer.
The ATEC joint venture of Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and Pratt &
Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX),
brings together the world-class engineering, manufacturing, and
production capabilities of two industry-leading companies perfectly
suited for accomplishing the goals of the Army's ITE program.
To learn more about ATEC and the HPW3000 engine, visit ATEC
online at www.dualspoolrules.com or on Twitter,
Facebook, or LinkedIn.
This press release contains forward-looking statements
concerning opportunities for development and potential production
of helicopter engines. Actual results may differ materially from
those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties,
including but not limited to changes in government procurement
priorities and practices, budget plans, and availability of
funding; challenges in the design, development, production,
delivery, support, performance and realization of the anticipated
benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and
uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from
time to time in filings submitted by UTC and by Honeywell to the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contacts
Matthew Bates
Mobile:
+1-860-371-9857
Matthew.Bates@pw.utc.com
Nathan Drevna
Mobile:
+1-202-412-6640
Nathan.Drevna@Honeywell.com
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SOURCE Pratt & Whitney