Programme FATE : Future Affordable Turbine Engine

HOUSTON — Bids are being sought for a U.S. Army program to demonstrate a 5,000-10,000-shp.-class engine that could power future iterations of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.

A solicitation for the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program was released in mid-January by the Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD), with contract award planned for the third quarter of 2012.

The goal is to demonstrate the engine at a scale physically compatible with the existing Chinook installation. The CH-47F is powered by two Honeywell T55-714As with an intermediate rated power of 4,527 shp.

FATE has more aggressive goals for reduced fuel consumption, increased power-to-weight ratio, longer design life and lower development, production and maintenance costs than AATD’s Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program, which is already underway.

Under AATE, General Electric and Honeywell/Pratt & Whitney are demonstrating 3,000-shp.-class turboshafts to replace the GE T700 in future developments of the Boeing AH-64 Apache and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

Testing of the rival GE3000 and HPW3000 engines will begin this year, with demonstration of the AATE goals planned for Fiscal 2012. Objectives include a 25% reduction in specific fuel consumption (sfc), 65% increase in specific power, a 6,000-hr. design life and cuts of 35% in production and maintenance costs.

Beginning in mid-Fiscal 2012, AATE is planned to transition to the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) to develop a T700 replacement. A revised request for information on ITEP was issued in December by Army Aviation and Missile Command.

Upping power by 50% and reducing sfc by 25% while maintaining the T700’s weight and size would increase mission radius by more than 15% for the UH-60M and almost 45% for the AH-64D Block 3, AATD calculates.

For FATE, goals relative to the T55 include a 35% reduction in sfc, 80% improvement in power-to-weight, 30% increase in design life to more than 6,000 hr., cuts of 45% in production and maintenance costs, and 20% in development cost.

In addition to higher power to increase hot-and-high payload and performance, the Army is emphasizing reduced part-power fuel consumption to extend range and endurance. Higher durability and reliability are needed to reduce operating costs

On top of all this, the army has also started a program to replace the venerable T55 with an all new engine in the 6,000shp to 7,000shp range after 2018. Last week, I confirmed that Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric are each participating in the earliest stages of the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program.

The engine configuration is to include a free power turbine shaft; be front drive concentric with the engine centerline; include an integral, but removable IPS system; include an integral lubrication system and engine anti-ice system
(note: integral lubrication system and engine anti-ice systems are required to be a part of the notional engine design, but are not required for demo testing).