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The U.S. Army will cancel a 19-year-old program to develop an improved common engine for its helicopter fleet as part of a series of new cuts to its aviation portfolio.
The service plans to end the Improved Turbine Engine Program, as the GE Aerospace T901 has begun engine runs in a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. The T901 was selected to power both the UH-60 and AH-64 fleets, as well as the now-canceled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA).
While the Army has funded development and integration efforts, the service will not fund procurement of the engine, service spokesman Col. David Butler tells Aviation Week.
GE Aerospace in a statement says it continues T901 development on its current contract, as new Army leaders are reimagining the future of the service’s aviation portfolio.
“GE Aerospace continues to work on T901 as outlined in our active contract and remains focused on executing against our commitments, including preparations for the first flight milestone this year,” a company spokesperson says.
The news comes after the Army has announced plans to cut the AH-64D Apaches, while keeping the AH-64Es; retiring the MQ-1 Gray Eagle and ending other aviation-related programs such as the Future Tactical Uncrewed Aerial System. Meanwhile, the service under a memorandum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and subsequent guidance from Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George is focusing on other uncrewed systems as part of the Army Transformation Initiative.
“Our Army must transform now to a leaner, more lethal force by infusing technology, cutting obsolete systems, and reducing overhead to defeat any adversary on an ever-changing battlefield,” the Army leaders wrote in a May 1 letter. “Our continuous transformation is underpinned by strong, agile leaders who act on their initiative.”
There will be more changes as part of a second round of the initiative, they write. Additional changes are expected in the rollout of the upcoming budget proposal, now expected in early June.
Driscoll appeared hesitant to lay out the future of the UH-60 Black Hawk in a May 7 House Appropriations committee hearing under questioning from Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), whose district includes the Sikorsky headquarters. Driscoll initially played down concerns about the Black Hawk because of DeLauro’s constituency.
“It’s not just a constituency issue here, though. It’s about the Black Hawk and what it has meant to the safety of our soldiers and the national security of this country,” DeLauro said. “That is my primary goal in addressing this issue. This is not just a willy-nilly constituent question.”
When the Army canceled FARA in February 2024, it committed to buying more UH-60M variants of the Sikorsky helicopter, though that commitment appears up in the air under the new Trump administration. Under that plan, the Army also delayed production of the T901 to ensure it can be integrated on both the AH-64 Apache and the UH-60.
The Army first began ITEP in 2006, looking for a 3,000 shaft hp engine for both the helicopters, targeting large improvements in range and fuel efficiency.
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