General Electric GE38 explained

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]

Design and development

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. Sporting a 22:1 pressure ratio, which was a record for single-spool compressors at the time, the GE27 was GE's unsuccessful submission to power the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The GE27 also had a compressor air flow of 27lb/s28lb/s and a turbine temperature of 2400F2500F. 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.[2]

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[3] called the CFE (Commercial Fan Engines) CFE738, which used the GE27's gas generator core. One of a range of advertised GE38 unducted fan (UDF) sizes,[3] the takeoff thrust GE38-B5 was for a time the baseline engine for the West German-Chinese MPC-75 regional airliner. 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, the T407 engine was scheduled to undergo flight testing on a Lockheed P-3 Orion testbed aircraft in the summer of 1990,[4] but the US Navy canceled Lockheed's P-7 contract on July 20, 1990.[5] 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.

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.[6] The GE38 completed its first round of ground testing in May 2010.[7] 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.[8] In September 2019, GE delivered the first production T408 engine to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for the CH-53K. 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.[9] Conclusion of the test trials was announced on May 12, 2021.[10]

Variants

T407-GE-400
T408-GE-400 (GE38-1B)
CFE CFE738
  • Turbofan variant of the T407-GE-400, used on the Dassault Falcon
    CPX38: Proposed turboprop engine variant of the GE38-1B[12]
  • GE38-3: An class derivative engine under consideration by the U.S. military in 2006[13]
  • GE38-B5: A contra-rotating, ungeared, unducted fan (UDF) derivative with a bare engine weight (including the UDF) of, a UDF diameter of 2.1m (06.9feet), and a blade count of 11 on one propeller and 9 on the other; provides a takeoff thrust of with a thrust-specific fuel consumption (TSFC) of, and a cruise thrust of with a TSFC of ; proposed for the MPC 75 German-Chinese regional airliner in the late 1980s[14]
  • GLC38: Proposed turboprop variant of the T407-GE-400

    • Applications

    Bibliography

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sikorsky-unveils-ch-53k-helicopter-us-marine-corps-reveals-aircraft-name-258020131.html Sikorsky Unveils CH-53K Helicopter; U.S. Marine Corps Reveals Aircraft Name
    2. Flight International . Navy surprise on V-22 power . Detroit, Michigan, USA . January 25, 1986 . 16 . Propulsion . 129 . 3995 . 0015-3710 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140419014958/https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1986/1986%20-%200210.PDF . April 19, 2014.
    3. Manufacturers positioning for coming competitive battles . Air Transport World . September 1986 . 0002-2543 . 23 . 20+ . .
    4. 0730-6784 . . Gallery of US Navy, Marine Corps, and Army aircraft . Kenneth . Munson . Paul . Jackson . Bill . Gunston . July 1990 . 90 . 2027/osu.32435027300748 . 73 . 7.
    5. News: 0458-3035 . . Navy cancels $600-million Lockheed plane contract . July 21, 1990 . Ralph . Vartabedian . live . October 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201029061122/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-21-mn-144-story.html.
    6. https://web.archive.org/web/20151224112343/http://www.geaviation.com/press/military/military_20070124.html "GE Launches New Engine Program for U.S. Marine Corps Heavy-lift Helicopter"
    7. https://web.archive.org/web/20101211085533/http://geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/military/military_20100506.html "GE38 Completes First Engine to Test Program"
    8. https://web.archive.org/web/20110808161113/http://www.geae.com/aboutgeae/presscenter/military/military_20110118.html "GE38 Looking to Take to the Sea"
    9. News: The Drive . CH-47 Chinook with far more powerful T408 engines has flown for the first time . Joseph . Trevithick . September 23, 2020.
    10. News: Jane's . US Army concludes trial of Chinook fitted with King Stallion engines . May 13, 2021 . Gareth . Jennings . limited.
    11. Web site: CH-47 Chinook flight tests with more powerful GE T408 engine could begin within weeks. Garrett. Reim. 14 July 2020. FlightGlobal. limited. 5 August 2020.
    12. News: . Turboprop version of GE38 turboshaft due mid-decade . Bill . O'Connor . October 5, 2010.
    13. National Research Council (NRC) . A review of United States Air Force and Department of Defense aerospace propulsion needs . Derivative engine programs . 95 . 2006 . 978-0-309-10247-6 . 10.17226/11780 . 1050643189.
    14. MBB CATIC Association . MPC 75 feasibility study - Summary report: B1 - Project definition . July 1987 . B1–2, B1–13, B1–23, B1–25, B1–30 to B1–32, B1–37, B1–45 to B1–46, Appendix B1-4.1 pages 20 to 31.

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