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46-561: The Rolls-Royce T406 (company designation AE 1107 ) is a turboshaft engine developed by Allison Engine Company (now part of Rolls-Royce ) that powers the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor . The engine delivers 6,000 shp (4,470 kW). In 1982, Detroit Diesel Allison (DDA) prepared a new engine design to enter the United States Army 's Modern Technology Demonstrator Engine (MTDE) competition, which

92-413: A gear reduction system, and the shaft output. The gas generator creates the hot expanding gases to drive the power section. Depending on the design, the engine accessories may be driven either by the gas generator or by the power section. In most designs, the gas generator and power section are mechanically separate so they can each rotate at different speeds appropriate for the conditions, referred to as

138-544: A ' free power turbine '. A free power turbine can be an extremely useful design feature for vehicles, as it allows the design to forgo the weight and cost of complex multiple-ratio transmissions and clutches . An unusual example of the turboshaft principle is the Pratt & Whitney F135 -PW-600 turbofan engine for the STOVL Lockheed F-35B Lightning II – in conventional mode it operates as

184-461: A Sikorsky-Boeing team. The JMR program is not intended to develop a prototype for the next family of vehicles, but to develop technologies and interfaces. The TIAs give the four teams nine months to complete preliminary design of their rotorcraft, which the Army will then review and authorize the construction of two competing demonstrators to fly in 2017. While there is a potential for an early downselect,

230-641: A common core with the AE 3007 turbofan and AE 2100 turboprop series of engines, both of which have sold in the thousands of copies. 44-46 percent of parts are common between the T406 and the AE 3007, while about 76 percent of parts are common between the T406 and the AE 2100. In addition, Allison attempted to develop other types of engines based on the T406. In 1988, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) of West Germany and

276-607: A crew of four and be capable of transporting up to 14 troops. Dual cargo hooks will give it a lift capacity to carry a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) M777A2 Howitzer while flying at a speed of 150 knots (170 mph; 280 km/h). The fuselage is visually similar to that of the UH-60 Black Hawk medium lift helicopter. When landed, the wing is more than 7 ft (2.1 m) from the ground, allowing soldiers to egress easily out of two 6-foot (1.8 m) wide side doors and door gunners to have wide fields of fire. Although

322-716: A helicopter, the V-280 will have a lower disk loading and longer wing for greater hover and cruise efficiency. In October 2021, Bell and Rolls-Royce jointly announced that the V-280 Valor powerplant would switch from the T64 turboshaft used on the prototype to a derivative of the Rolls-Royce T406 /AE 1107C used on the Osprey, which would be named the AE 1107F. At the same time as increasing power from 5,000 to 7,000 horsepower,

368-421: A honeycomb-stiffened "sandwich" construction with large-cell carbon cores for fewer, larger, and lighter parts. Skins and ribs are paste-bonded together to eliminate fasteners. With these measures, costs are reduced by over 30 percent compared to a scaled V-22 wing. Bell expects the V-280 to cost around the same as an AH-64E or MH-60M . While the Osprey has a higher disk loading and lower hover efficiency than

414-645: A niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopters in the 1950s. In 1950, Turbomeca used its work from the 782 to develop the larger 280-shp Artouste , which was widely used on the Aérospatiale Alouette II and other helicopters. This was following the experimental installation of a Boeing T50 turboshaft in an example of the Kaman K-225 synchropter on December 11, 1951, as the world's first-ever turboshaft-powered helicopter of any type to fly. The T-80 tank, which entered service with

460-517: A sustained high power output, high reliability, small size, and light weight. These include helicopters , auxiliary power units , boats and ships , tanks , hovercraft , and stationary equipment. A turboshaft engine may be made up of two major parts assemblies: the 'gas generator' and the 'power section'. The gas generator consists of the compressor , combustion chambers with ignitors and fuel nozzles , and one or more stages of turbine . The power section consists of additional stages of turbines,

506-711: A turbofan, but when powering the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem , it switches partially to turboshaft mode to send 29,000 horsepower forward through a shaft and partially to turbofan mode to continue to send thrust to the main engine's fan and rear nozzle. Large helicopters use two or three turboshaft engines. The Mil Mi-26 uses two Lotarev D-136 at 11,400 hp each, while the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion uses three General Electric T64 at 4,380 hp each. The first gas turbine engine considered for an armoured fighting vehicle,

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552-524: Is a tiltrotor aircraft being developed by Bell Helicopter for the United States Army 's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. The aircraft was officially unveiled at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. The V-280 made its first flight on 18 December 2017 in Amarillo, Texas. On 5 December 2022, the V-280 was chosen by

598-699: Is based on the Allison T56 turboprop from the P-3 and the C-130 , with the free power turbine of the Allison T701 turboshaft from the defunct Heavy Lift Helicopter program . It was selected over the Pratt & Whitney PW3000 and General Electric GE27 competing for the US Army's Modern Technology Demonstrator Engine program. The T406 began flight testing on 19 March 1989. The T406/AE 1107C Liberty shares

644-674: Is the technology demonstration precursor to Future Vertical Lift (FVL). The Army classified the offering as a Category I proposal, meaning it is a well-conceived, scientifically or technically sound proposal pertinent to program goals and objectives with applicability to Army mission needs, offered by a responsible contractor with the competent scientific and technical staff supporting resources required to achieve results. JMR-TD contracts were expected to be awarded in September 2013, with flights scheduled for 2017. In September 2013, Bell announced it would partner with Lockheed Martin to develop

690-618: The Bell V-280 Valor powerplant would switch from the General Electric T64 turboshaft used on the prototype to a derivative of the 1107C used on the Osprey which would be named the 1107F. At the same time as increasing power from 5,000 to 7,000 horsepower, the 1107C is a known element in tiltrotor aircraft with its two decades of prior use which lowers sustainment costs and de-risks the project. The V-22's T406 powerplants are housed in wing-tip tilting nacelles, allowing

736-627: The China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) to work on a version of the MPC 75 regional aircraft to be powered by a T406-derived propfan . In 1990, Allison studied a 9,000 shp (6,700 kW) propfan powerplant driving 8.5 ft diameter (2.6 m) contra-rotating propellers to power Euroflag 's proposed military airlift aircraft. Also, the MT7 gas turbines that will be used to power

782-568: The GT 101 which was based on the BMW 003 turbojet, was tested in a Panther tank in mid-1944. The first turboshaft engine for rotorcraft was built by the French engine firm Turbomeca , led by its founder Joseph Szydlowski . In 1948, they built the first French-designed turbine engine, the 100-shp 782. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit , it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found

828-583: The Ship-to-Shore Connector are a derived design of the T406. Production continued by Rolls-Royce after it acquired Allison in 1995 to establish a North American subsidiary. In 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the engines failed after less than 400 hours of service, as compared to the estimated life of 500–600 hours. Multiple updates to the engine platform in 2012-2013 have increased

874-661: The Soviet Army in 1976, was the first tank to use a gas turbine as its main engine. Since 1980 the US Army has operated the M1 Abrams tank, which also has a gas turbine engine. (Most tanks use reciprocating piston diesel engines.) The Swedish Stridsvagn 103 was the first tank to utilize a gas turbine as a secondary, high-horsepower "sprint" engine to augment its primary piston engine's performance. The turboshaft engines used in all these tanks have considerably fewer parts than

920-698: The 609 for commercial use, and intended to offer the V-280 for military use only. Bell also stated that conventional helicopters were not part of Bell's military future. The Bell V-280 was chosen over the Sikorsky Defiant X on 5 December 2022. Sikorsky filed a protest after losing the contract, but the Government Accountability Office rejected it on the grounds that Bell's submission was more advantageous in more areas while Sikorsky's information had too many deficiencies and did not provide enough detail on how it would meet requirements. In June 2015, Bell's subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems began assembly of

966-399: The Army, which leads the program, is not committed to the idea and wants distinct platforms for each mission. Bell and Lockheed claim an AV-280 variant can launch rockets, missiles, and even small unmanned aerial vehicles forward or aft with no rotor interference, even in forward flight and cruise modes with the rotors forward. The V-280 prototype (air vehicle concept demonstrator, or AVCD)

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1012-503: The Block 3 turbine. Engines with a future planned block 4 upgrade would be expected to deliver nearly 10,000 horsepower (7,500 kilowatts). An ongoing problem with the engines was their propensity for surging or stalling with 68 incidents reported between 2003 and October 2016 though this rate had reduced after the introduction of the Block 3 engine version. The US Naval Air Systems Command intends to award Rolls-Royce two contracts to examine

1058-661: The US Army as the winner of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk . As of April 2024, limited user tests are planned for 2027 to 2028 with the first deployment expected in 2031. In June 2013, Bell Helicopter announced that the V-280 Valor design had been selected by the US Army for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) phase. The JMR-TD phase

1104-450: The US Army. After one year of flight tests, it reached its 280 knots (320 mph; 520 km/h) target by January 2019, as it will continue to expand its flight envelope : low-speed agility, bank angles , and autonomous operations. In December 2020, the V-280 reached 305 knots (350 mph; 560 km/h) as it was flown for over 200 hours. The V-280 is designed for a cruising speed of 280 knots (320 mph; 520 km/h), hence

1150-542: The V-22 engine contract anyway. On 24 December 1985, the U.S. Navy selected Allison's engine for full-scale engine development and production on the U.S. Marine Corps 's V-22 Osprey. Before the engine was given its United States military aircraft engine designation of T406, it was known as the Model 501-M80C. The Navy and Allison signed a formal contract on 2 May 1986, and the first engine to test ran six months after. The T406

1196-531: The V-280 Valor to continue with the JMR demonstration program. The Boeing - Sikorsky team offering the SB-1 Defiant was also chosen. Announcement of the selections was officially made on 3 October 2014, and the teams began building technology demonstration aircraft for test flights in 2017. Bell unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the V-280 Valor on the floor at AUSA 2014 to showcase the configuration and design of

1242-532: The V-280. Lockheed will provide integrated avionics, sensors, and weapons to the aircraft. Additional partners were announced in the following months, including Moog Inc. for the flight control systems, GE Aviation for the engines, GKN for the tail structure, Spirit AeroSystems for the composite fuselage, Eaton Corporation as the distributor of hydraulics and power generation systems, and Astronics Advanced Electric Systems to design and manufacture power distribution systems. Israel Aerospace Industries ,

1288-411: The composite fuselage for the first prototype V-280 Valor, which was delivered in September 2015. In total, the design and manufacturing of the fuselage was completed in only 22 months. Although the V-280 is initially planned for the JMR demonstration program, Bell does not anticipate much difference between it and a final FVL entry. By January 2016, the V-280 demonstrator was 23 percent complete, with

1334-425: The compressors correct rotational speed again correctable with a software fix. In addition, Bell Boeing is developing an inlet barrier system to reduce the power loss from the engine ingesting dust and sand particles to supplement the engines existing centrifugal based particle separators as they can only do so much to improve the quality of air they receive. In October 2021, Bell and Rolls-Royce jointly announced that

1380-604: The distinctive flight characteristics of the V-22. For take off and landing the nacelles are directed vertically (90° to fuselage), while for forward flight they are rotated parallel to fuselage. The engine has been considered as a cost-effective upgrade for existing heavylift helicopters such as the CH-47 Chinook and the CH-53 . Related development Comparable engines Related lists Turboshaft Turboshaft engines are commonly used in applications that require

1426-409: The effectiveness of proposed reliability improvements, the first is a software tweak to the engine management software for the compressor guide vanes that internal testing showed could improve surge margin by 0.8% at sea level and 3% at altitude. The second is the discovery that a temperature sensor at the inlet of the compressor sends incorrect readings leading to 2.5% out of 4% steady power shortfall at

Rolls-Royce T406 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1472-448: The first international partner recruited for the V-280, will supply the nacelle structures. Textron sister company TRU Simulation & Training will build a high-fidelity marketing simulator and desktop maintenance trainer. In October 2013, the U.S. Army awarded a technology investment agreement (TIA) to Bell for the V-280 Valor tiltrotor under the Joint Multi-Role program. Awards were also given to AVX Aircraft, Karem Aircraft , and

1518-565: The four teams are focused on the 2017 flight demonstrations. Each of the four teams received $ 6.5 million from the Army for phase I of the program, although Bell is investing an undisclosed amount of its own money. On 21 October 2013, Bell unveiled the first full-scale mock-up of the V-280 Valor at Association of the United States Army 2013. On 11 August 2014, the Army informed the Bell-Lockheed team that they had chosen

1564-516: The fuselage and wings mated together in early May 2016. The demonstrator aircraft began ground vibration testing in Amarillo in February 2017, with the aircraft reaching 95 percent completion. The demonstrator was undergoing ground testing in October 2017. Bell released a video on 18 December showing the first flight with the area around the pivots blurred. In April 2018, it ran for 75 hours on

1610-663: The ground and flew for 19 hours, up to 80 knots (90 mph; 150 km/h), before transiting to airplane flight by the end of the month. By the end of the month, it attained 140 knots (160 mph; 260 km/h) with proprotors 60-deg. forward, and is planned to reach its airplane cruise configuration with horizontal pylons in summer. It reached 190 knots (220 mph; 350 km/h) in cruise mode with horizontal propellers in May 2018. After 155 hours of rotor turn time and 70 flight hours, by October 2018 it had reached 250 knots (290 mph; 460 km/h) at 80% proprotor cruise speed. It

1656-489: The high-speed platform. It is focused on the infantry squad and is to handle much like a helicopter in terms of low-speed agility to have unprecedented pitch, roll, and yaw response for those operations. Roughly the size of the current medium-lift helicopter, the V-280 is designed to travel twice as fast and twice as far. Bell is pitching these capabilities for movement over vast areas like the Pacific. The program director said

1702-474: The initial design is a utility configuration, Bell is also working on an attack configuration. Whether different variants of the V-280 would fill utility and attack roles or a single airframe could interchange payloads for either mission, Bell is confident the Valor tiltrotor platform can fulfill both duties. The U.S. Marine Corps is interested in having one aircraft to replace utility and attack helicopters, but

1748-403: The interior include seats that wirelessly charge troops’ radios, night-vision goggles, and other electronic gear and windows that display three-dimensional mission maps. Special emphasis has been placed on reducing the weight of the V-280 in comparison to the V-22, which would reduce cost. To do this, composites are used extensively in the wing, fuselage, and tail. Wing skins and ribs are made of

1794-780: The lifespan significantly. In April 2012, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) ordered 70 AE 1107C engines for the Osprey, with options for up to 268 engines. Rolls-Royce introduced a Block 3 turbine upgrade, which replaced the old turbine design with sturdier and more efficient components. The upgrade increased engine power by at least 17 percent, and the engine achieved a power output of over 8,800 shp (6,600 kW) during ground testing. The Block 3 turbine became standard in July 2012 for new production models. By September 2012, all older engines that were undergoing regular maintenance were systematically upgraded to

1840-418: The name V-280. It has a top speed of 300 knots (345 mph; 556 km/h), a range of 2,100 nautical miles (2,400 mi; 3,900 km), and an effective combat range of 500 to 800 nmi (580 to 920 mi; 930 to 1,480 km). Expected maximum takeoff weight is around 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg). One major difference from the earlier V-22 Osprey tiltrotor is that the engines remain in place while

1886-601: The need for forward arming and refueling points could be eliminated and that one FOB (forward operating base) in the middle of a country, such as Afghanistan, could cover the entire country. Although Bell sold its share in the AW609 program in 2011, Bell continues to work on the AW609 and considers commercial potential for the V-280, as a military mass production of 2,000–4,000 aircraft could reduce unit cost to commercially acceptable levels. In 2016, Bell stated that it preferred

Rolls-Royce T406 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1932-401: The piston engines they replace or supplement, mechanically are very reliable, produce reduced exterior noise, and run on virtually any fuel: petrol (gasoline), diesel fuel , and aviation fuels. However, turboshaft engines have significantly higher fuel consumption than the diesel engines that are used in the majority of modern main battle tanks. Bell V-280 Valor The Bell V-280 Valor

1978-440: The rotors and drive shafts tilt. A driveshaft runs through the straight wing, allowing both prop rotors to be driven by a single engine in the event of engine loss. The V-280 will have retractable landing gear, a triple-redundant fly by wire control system, and a V-tail configuration. The wings are made of a single section of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite, reducing weight and production costs. The V-280 will have

2024-585: Was expected to be developed into the powerplant for the United States Navy 's JVX experimental tiltrotor aircraft program (which would eventually become the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey ). After this engine, which DDA called the Model 580, lost the competition to Pratt & Whitney and General Electric in 1983, Allison was separated from Detroit Diesel as a separate division within General Motors , and Allison's new management decided to pursue

2070-447: Was flown to a 45° bank angle at up to 200 knots (230 mph; 370 km/h), achieved a 4,500 ft/min (23 m/s) climb rate at 160 kn (180 mph; 300 km/h), exceeded 200 knots (230 mph; 370 km/h) with less than 50% torque, and recorded a peak load factor of 1.9 g. Its longest flight covered 370 mi (320 nmi; 600 km) as it performed a ferry flight to Arlington, Texas to continue testing closer to

2116-484: Was powered by the General Electric T64 . The specific engine for the model performance specification (MPS) was unknown at the time, but has funding from the Army's future affordable turbine engine (FATE) program. The V-tail structure and ruddervators, made by GKN, will provide high levels of maneuverability and control to the airframe. It will be made of a combination of metals and composites. Features in

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