BAE SYSTEMS To Develop, Produce Controls For U.S. Army's Next-Generation Rotorcraft Engine.

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. -- GE - Aviation has selected BAE Systems to develop an Electronic Engine Control Unit (EECU) for the full-authority digital electronic control (FADEC)-equipped T700-701D engine. The U.S. Army has designated the T700-701D as the single-configuration engine for new UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.

The FADEC System will reduce pilot workload, improve engine performance, and reduce maintenance costs compared to the standard digital engine controls used on current Black Hawks. The dual-channel control will govern engine fuel flow and variable engine geometries and perform advanced functions such as electronic engine overspeed protection. The system also will incorporate built-in prognostic tools to interface with the aircraft's health, utility, and management systems.

Development of the new control is under way at BAE Systems' facility in Johnson City, N.Y. Production of the EECUs, which could total about 4,000 units, will take place at the company's plant in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"BAE Systems has supplied digital engine controls for the T700 engine family since 1979, and this contract extends the company's position on T700 engines through 2017," said Hank McGlynn, the company's vice president of Power Systems. "Our control is a great fit for the Army's next-generation rotorcraft engine and will provide Army pilots with significant performance advantages."

Future orders for the T700-701D EECU could bring the total production quantity to 6,000 units. Upgrading engines to the T700-GE-701D configuration is part of the U.S. Army's program to upgrade its fleet of UH-60A and -60L Black Hawk helicopters to the UH-60M configuration.