GE Aviation on Monday launched a new turboprop engine for the general aviation market, saying its Advanced Turboprop will offer unparalleled performance and efficiency when it reaches the market in 2018.
The first application for the product is a single-engine turboprop under development by Textron with room to accommodate up to 12 people and offer a range of 1,500 nm and a cruise speed of 280 knots.
Brad Mottier, head of GE's business and general aviation unit, said the new engine will boast 10 percent more power at 30,000 feet while delivering a 20 percent reduction in fuel burn compared with the performance of the Pratt & Whitney PT6.
The new engine will deliver such exceptional performance, Mottier said, because of computer control of the engine and propeller.
GE, a major supplier of jet engines to the airline market, started out in the turboprop business by purchasing Walter Engine, the Czech turboprop engine maker and reengineering it into the GE H80 with up to 850 horsepower. The new Advanced Turboprop engine, Mottier said, will offer up 1,650 shaft horsepower.
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