| GE38 / T408 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The T408 on a CH-53K King Stallion | |
| Type | Turboshaft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | GE Aviation |
| First run | December 26, 1989 |
| Major applications | Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion (T408) |
| Developed into | CFE CFE738 |
The General Electric GE38 is a gas turbine developed by GE Aviation for turboprop and turboshaft applications. It powers the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion as the T408. [1]
The GE27 was developed in the early 1980s under the "Modern Technology Demonstrator Engines" (MTDE) program sponsored by the United States Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate. [2] Sporting a 22:1 pressure ratio, which was a record for single-spool compressors at the time, the GE27 [3] was GE's unsuccessful submission to power the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The GE27 also had a compressor air flow of 27–28 pounds per second (12–13 kg/s) and a turbine temperature of 2,400–2,500 °F (1,320–1,370 °C; 2,860–2,960 °R; 1,590–1,640 K). [2] The GE27 first ran in late 1984, but it unexpectedly lost the V-22 engine competition to the Allison 501-M80C, which was not a participant in the MTDE program. [4]
In the late 1980s, GE used the GE27 as the basis for the commercial development of turboshafts, turboprops, turbofans, and propfans under the GE38 name. GE formed a 50/50 venture with Garrett (then a division of AlliedSignal) to develop the turbofan variant [5] called the CFE (Commercial Fan Engines) CFE738, which used the GE27's gas generator core. [2] One of a range of advertised GE38 unducted fan (UDF) sizes, [5] the 9,620 lbf (4,360 kgf; 42.8 kN) takeoff thrust GE38-B5 was for a time the baseline engine for the West German-Chinese MPC-75 regional airliner. [6] The GE38 became the T407 military turboprop in partnership with Lycoming Engines for the Lockheed P-7A, with a maximum takeoff power of 6,000 shp (4,475 kW). First run on December 26, 1989, [7] the T407 engine was scheduled to undergo flight testing on a Lockheed P-3 Orion testbed aircraft in the summer of 1990, [8] but the US Navy canceled Lockheed's P-7 contract on July 20, 1990. [9] The commercial version of the T407 was the GLC38 (General Electric/Lycoming Commercial 38), which was unsuccessfully offered for several turboprop airliners in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [2]
The new T408 (GE38-1B) is slated to power the new Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion three-engined helicopter for the US Marine Corps. It has a power rating of 7,500 shp. [10] The GE38 completed its first round of ground testing in May 2010. [11] Two test engines have completed over 1,000 hours of ground testing by November 2011. Five test engines will be used in the 5,000-hour test program. [12] In September 2019, GE delivered the first production T408 engine to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for the CH-53K. [13] GE also offered the engine to power the U.S. Navy's Ship-to-Shore Connector air-cushioned landing craft.
The T408 was also tested by the U.S. Army and Boeing as an alternative powerplant on an NCH-47D Chinook testbed helicopter. The helicopter configuration was ground tested beginning in late 2019, followed by an initial flight on September 22, 2020. [14] Conclusion of the test trials was announced on May 12, 2021. [15]
Data fromGE Aviation. [19]
Related development
Comparable engines
Related lists
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