Today, Honeywell announced that it has secured an order for 41 T55-GA-714A engines, a critical step in supporting South Korea's initiative to replace its aging CH-47D helicopters with new CH-47F aircraft. This procurement and engine supply operation are overseen through the U.S. Army Foreign Military Sales office.

Honeywell's T55 engine is renowned for its role in powering heavy lift helicopters and remains a global leader in this category. Currently, more than 1,000 CH-47 helicopters, all equipped with T55 engines, are in operation across military and civil aviation entities worldwide. The latest iteration, the T55-GA-714A engine, boasts an impressive output of nearly 5,000 shaft horsepower, allowing Chinook aircraft to achieve speeds of up to 170 knots even under challenging operational conditions.

Dave Marinick, President of Engines and Power Systems at Honeywell Aerospace, expressed gratitude for the ongoing partnership with South Korea and the opportunity to continue supporting their new CH-47F Block I Helicopters with the latest T55-GA-714A engine configuration. He emphasized the significance of this contract, underscoring South Korea's trust in Honeywell's battle-tested engines, which have accumulated approximately 12 million hours of operation on Boeing CH-47 and MH-47 Chinook helicopters.

Honeywell's involvement with the T55 engine dates back to 1961 when it initially delivered a 2,200 shaft horsepower version for the CH-47A helicopter to the U.S. Army. Since then, the engine's power output has more than doubled, with ongoing development efforts focused on further increasing its potential while enhancing maintainability, reliability, and reducing operational costs.

Honeywell's commitment to advancing the T55 engine family is demonstrated through ongoing work on the T55-GA-714C. This next-generation 714C engine is designed to achieve a 6,000-shaft horsepower class, while also delivering an 8% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the current T55 model.

Source:prnewswire.com