Advanced Turbine Engine Company

Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC) is an American aerospace joint venture created in 2006. A project of Honeywell International Inc. and Pratt & Whitney, ATEC was formed to compete for a government contract to create a 3,000 shaft horsepower engine to replace the existing 2,000 shaft horsepower T700 engine powering the U.S. Army's Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters.

Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC)
TypeJoint venture
IndustryAerospace
Founded2006
Headquarters
United States
Key people
Craig Madden, president; Jerry Wheeler, vice president, programs
ProductsT900 turbine engine
ParentHoneywell and United Technologies Corporation's Pratt & Whitney
Websitewww.dualspoolrules.com

ATEC participated in the Army's Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine science and technology program and completed multiple tests of its T900 engine. It is furthering the engine's development through the Army's competitive Improved Turbine Engine Program, which calls for a new helicopter engine with 50 percent more power and 25 percent better fuel efficiency. The company opened its Huntsville, Alabama, office in November 2014.

Background

Honeywell International Inc. and United Technologies Corporation subsidiary Pratt & Whitney created the Advanced Turbine Engine Company in 2006.[1] The company is led by Craig Madden, president,[2] and Jerry Wheeler, vice president, programs.[3] At the 2007 Paris Air Show, the fifty-fifty joint venture[4] said it would participate in the U.S. Army's Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program.[5] In May 2008, the Army awarded a $108 million contract to ATEC for the science and technology initiative to replace the current T700 engine.[6] Through the project, the Army seeks to increase the power and efficiency of engines for Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters,[4][6] to keep the helicopters in the fleet for an additional 30 years or more.[7] ATEC is competing against GE Aviation to develop the new engine.[4]

Parent company facilities in Connecticut and Arizona hosted the early development of ATEC's HPW3000 engine.[8] ATEC conducted tests of the HPW3000 in 2013 and 2014, including a sand ingestion demonstration.[3][7][9] As of May 2015, ATEC is preparing to move into the Army's next phase of helicopter engine development, the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), following the AATE program.[10] Maj. Gen. Michael Lundy, who commanded the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, and Heidi Shyu, the Army's assistant secretary for acquisition, called ITEP the Army's top aviation modernization priority.[4][11] The National Defense Authorization Act funded ITEP at $126 million for Fiscal Year 2017.[12]

In November 2014, ATEC moved to the Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama.[13] The Huntsville Times reported that city officials lobbied for three years to get ATEC to locate there.[8] Originally, Wheeler said four or five management and business development workers would work out of the new office, in addition to visiting engineers and logistics professionals.[13]

T900

The T900 is ATEC's dual-spool engine[14] intended to replace the U.S. Army's existing engines for its Black Hawk and Apache helicopter fleet. Originally called the HPW3000, the Army designated it as the T900 engine in February 2017.[15] In August 2016, the Army awarded ATEC a $154 million, two-year preliminary design review contract to further support development of the replacement engine. The assignment of a customer naming designation (“T”) is typical as an engine development program matures.[16]

The engine is designed so the Army can install it without having to adjust the engine compartment.[17] ATEC is designing a 3,000 shaft horsepower engine[18] to replace the 2,000 shaft horsepower T700.[1] A dual-spool engine has potential to increase an engine's pressure-to-power ratio.[19] ITEP calls for the engine to be 50 percent more powerful and 25 percent more fuel efficient while lowering maintenance costs.[20] The engine's increased power is designed to allow Black Hawk and Apache helicopters to fly higher and longer with more soldiers in hotter climates.[1][5][18]

References
  1. Pentland, William (15 December 2013). "Hyper-efficient engines for Army attack helicopter". Forbes. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  2. Insinna, Valerie (15 October 2014). "With few Army aviation opportunities in sight, industry targets R&D programs". National Defense Magazine. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. Gould, Joe (30 March 2015). "US Army engine program advances to design phase". Defense News. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. Gould, Joe (30 March 2015). "US helo leaders take on dust, new engines". Defense News. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  5. Malenic, Marina (31 March 2009). "Engine companies ready challenge to General Electric on Army helo engines". Defense Daily. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. "Advanced Turbine gets $108 million Army contract". The Associated Press. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  7. "ATEC Concludes second test, reports milestone on new helicopter engine". Travel & Leisure Close-Up. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  8. Kelley, Mike (5 November 2014). "New Huntsville ATEC office supports development of more powerful, more fuel efficient Army helicopter engine". Huntsville Times. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  9. "Teams test new engines for U.S. Army helicopters". Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  10. Whittle, Richard (6 May 2015). ""It's unbelievable what we go through," laments Army helo program manager". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  11. Host, Pat (31 March 2015). "New turbine engine is Army's number one priority, Shyu says". Aviation Today. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  12. Abott, Rich (22 April 2016). "Defense Watch". Defense Daily.
  13. Kelley, Mike (7 November 2014). "New Huntsville ATEC office working on more powerful helicopter engine". Huntsville Times. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  14. "Power boost: US Army progresses helicopter propulsion plans". Jane's International Defense Review. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  15. "ATEC's HPW3000 Helicopter Engine is Now The T900". ATEC. 15 February 2017.
  16. Berry, Lucy (26 August 2016). "ATEC lands $154 million preliminary design contract for helicopter engine". Alabama Business.
  17. "Army's ITEP gets new impetus". Rotor & Wing. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  18. Dimascio, Jen (18 March 2015). "U.S. Army helicopter engine RFP expected in May". Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  19. Parsons, Dan (18 March 2015). "Industry asks US Army, one shaft or two for new helicopter engine". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  20. Malenic, Marina (1 April 2015). "GE developing single-spool core engine for US Army Apache, Black Hawk engines". Jane's International Defense Review. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
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