Nichols Martin
The U.S. Army has begun testing a Honeywell-made engine for use with Chinook helicopters under a cooperative research and development agreement.
Honeywell said Wednesday its T55-714C engine will undergo testing for two years as the Army evaluates the technology’s performance and ease of integration, making the system the first engine to test for the program.
Design verification testing commenced at the company’s Phoenix, Arizona-based facilities in November to prepare the engine for integration into a test aircraft.
The engine has so far demonstrated mechanical operation with maximum continuous power and the Army plans to conduct tests at power levels that are significantly higher.
“First engine to test is a significant achievement for the program and is the culmination of detailed design work, component manufacturing, system integration and validation,” said Dave Marinick, president for engines and power systems at Honeywell’s aerospace business.
