You can read the news article published in the November 2019 Issue of MSI Turkish Defence Review here:
On October 14, Honeywell announced that it was finalising a modernisation solution developed for its own-design T55 engines which are used aboard CH-47 helicopters.
The latest version of the T55 makes numerous improvements to the previous engine:
- over 20 percent more power at sea level
- nearly 10 percent more power at high and hot altitudes
- 9 percent less fuel consumption
Honeywell’s T55 engines also power the CH-47 helicopters in the inventory of TLFC.
The modernisation solution will take the form of both a new engine and a more cost-effective kit to upgrade the existing engines to the latest version. Since the new version will use the same engine connections and interfaces as the previous one, no additional modifications will be required to the helicopter. The improvements to the engine take the form of advanced compressor technologies that provide more horsepower and increased range. It is said that among the returns of the new version are improvements in maintainability.
Honeywell’s T55 engines have been serving aboard CH-47 helicopters for nearly 57 years. The total operating time of the 6,000+ T55 engines that have been produced by the company to date is close to 12 million hours. CH-47 helicopters are also in use by Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC).