GE Aerospace designed the T901 Improved Turbine Engine to replace the T700 turboshaft powering both the UH-60M and AH-64E helicopters.
The US Army has granted a preliminary flight rating (PFR) to the GE Aerospace T901 turboshaft engine as testing and evaluation continue on the new rotorcraft powerplant.
The T901 was developed under the Improved Turbine Engine programme as a replacement for GE’s T700 turboshaft, which powers the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache. The now-defunct Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) was set to fly with the T901 before that programme’s cancellation.
With a rating of 3,000shp (2,240kW), the T901 offers a 50% increase in available power over the older T700, while also using less fuel.
GE, Sikorsky and the US Army began ground testing the new turboshaft in early 2025 on the UH-60, with an initial hover flight coming in May of that year. The army describes the granting of PFR as a key airworthiness milestone in the certification process.
“The engine has proven it is safe, reliable, and fully capable of operating in the real world,” the army’s Capability Program Executive for Aviation office said on 10 August. “The engine has attained the level of maturity and technical confidence necessary to support defined flight operations.”
The T901 logged 2,600h of runtime in a test cell and more than 90h of aircraft test time, including both on the ground and in the air. In flight, the T901-equipped Black Hawk reached an altitude of 17,000ft and speeds of 160kt (296km/h), the army says.
Testing to grant full airworthiness qualification to the T901 will commence in October, in parallel to developmental testing with the UH-60M. CPE Aviation says specific areas of evaluation will include operating under “heavy, high, and hot” conditions.
A key performance factor to be evaluated is the ability to deliver full engine performance at an altitude of 6,000ft and temperatures of 35°C (95°F).
Although the new engine will continue with the certification process, the US Army has not yet committed to a production contract that would see the T901 fielded to frontline aircraft.
In fact, the programme at one point appeared to be on the brink of cancellation altogether. However, in April of this year, the army said it would complete certification work on the T901 and then make a decision on procurement.
Congress also stepped in, with lawmakers allocating $238 million across two 2026 spending bills to support ongoing work on the initial engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the T901 project.
Flight testing is expected to conclude sometime in the second half of 2027.
A March report from the US Government Accountability Office said that T901 production for the Black Hawk may not begin until 2029.
The US Army has roughly 2,300 UH-60s in service, meaning a fleet-wide fielding would take years to roll out.
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