U.S. Defense contractor Honeywell, which makes everything from jet engines to software used in planes, was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command for the procurement of CH-47 aircraft T55 engines.
The U.S. Department of Defense said Monday that Honeywell International Inc. was awarded a $476 million contract for the procurement of T55 engines, engine electronic control units, and installation kits.
Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2023.
Honeywell says the T55 is a family of military turboshaft engines that began life, as its designation indicates, in 1955. To date, more than 6,000 T55 engines have been produced, logging some 12 million hours of operation on the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and MH-47 helicopters.
At its introduction, the T55 produced 1,600 shaft horsepower (SHP). Several decades and generations of development later, today’s T55 produces 4,800 SHP and powers the CH-47 Chinook to a maximum speed of 196 mph (170 knots).
The latest configuration T55-714 delivers 22 percent more power and uses seven percent less fuel than its predecessor.