Lynn, Massachusetts – GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) announced today that Leonardo has selected the CT7-2E1 engine to power 23 AW149 helicopters for the UK Ministry of Defence’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) Program. The agreement also includes spare engines, spare parts, long-term services as well as other support.
“The CT7 engine’s track record as a highly reliable, workhorse powerplant is indisputable,” said Breanne Escalante, general manager of Rotorcraft & Turboprop Engines at GE Aerospace. “We are pleased that the CT7-2E1 has been selected to power the UK NMH helicopter fleet and look forward to providing world-class support for these engines as well as all the T700/CT7 engines operated by the UK armed forces.”
The CT7-2E1 is used by most operators of the Leonardo AW149 and AW189 types. More than 300 CT7-2E1 engines have been delivered, accumulating more than 500,000 flight hours worldwide in all operating environments. The CT7-2E1 has demonstrated highly reliable performance across all demanding operational and environmental conditions, while offering lower engine weight, reduced fuel consumption, and maintenance cost advantages compared to other engines in its power class. As the only modular engine in its class, the CT7-2E1 allows operators to service individual modules in the field, reducing dependence on returning engines to a depot for maintenance
The CT7-2E1 engine is part of GE Aerospace’s T700/CT7 engine family, which has accumulated more than 130 million flight hours. With more than 25,000 engines delivered worldwide, the T700/CT7 engines power 15 types of military and civilian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, demonstrating unmatched versatility and reliability. Introduction of the CT7-2E1 engine into the UK MoD’s inventory offers commonality with a large number of operators around the world and will also complement a T700 model already in service in the UK, which will help reduce operational costs.
As part of this program, GE Aerospace will be supporting Leonardo to implement and deliver robust economic, social, and environmental benefit programs under the UK’s Social Value Model Act. This includes building, maintaining, and overhauling CT7-2E1 engines and future exports from the UK at StandardAero’s Gosport facility for the UK NMH Program, and the manufacture and export of GE Aerospace engine components at Barnes Aerospace’s Newton Abbott facility. GE Aerospace will also leverage its facilities in Cheltenham, Cardiff, Prestwick, and Gloucester, focusing on outreach to educational institutions, apprenticeship programs, and employment equity and environmental sustainability programs.
About GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 50,000 commercial and 30,000 military aircraft engines. With a global team of approximately 57,000 employees, including more than 4,000 in the UK, building on more than a century of innovation and learning, GE Aerospace is committed to inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future at www.geaerospace.com.