The HTS7500 turboshaft engine, designed and manufactured by technology and engineering contractor Honeywell, will be used for an up-and-coming Lockheed Martin helicopter.
The company announced Thursday that the HTS7500 engine, which follows a historic T55 engine that carries decades of proven performance, has been tapped to power the Sikorsky-Boeing DEFIANT X helicopter.
“This engine builds upon the battle-proven architecture of the T55, but the HTS7500 takes engine performance, reliability and efficiency to a whole new level,” said Dave Marinick, Honeywell Aerospace president of engines and power systems.
The T55 engine has been the chosen fuel-burner in the H-47 fleet for over six decades and Honeywell’s engines have been prominent in the civilian and military markets for over seven decades. They are said to be favored for operation in challenging environments.
Honeywell has crafted their HTS7500 engine with the intention of it being their most advanced military-grade model. It features a control system that can manage large volumes of data and keeps users updated on engine health via the digital thread road map.
Lockheed Martin’s DEFIANT X helicopter is in the running for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft evaluation, which is the service branch’s selection process for the next go-to utility helicopter.
The DEFIANT X is currently in the digital combat training stage and is said to be capable of flying at speeds three times faster and farther than the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, the previous mission standard for Army helicopters.
If all goes according to plan, the DEFIANT X will replace the Black Hawk in 2030.
Honeywell is currently working under contract with the U.S. Army providing their time-tested T55 turboshaft engines for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet. The contract was announced in March 2021 and lasts until the end of 2023.