Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine

The Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program is a United States Army project to develop an improved engine for use in many Army helicopters.

Program history
Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program is a project of the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate and is intended to validate technologies needed to achieve the aggressive performance goals of the Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). The AATE program is under the larger research and development umbrella of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) program. While the new 3,000-shp engine is being developed to provide a 50 percent increase in power, the program is also targeting improved specific fuel consumption by 25 percent, reduced production and maintenance costs by 35 percent and a 20 percent longer engine life. The program began in 2006.

In July 2009, the U.S. Army released a request for information signaling a new program, the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). This solicitation is the first step in developing an engine that that uses the advancements and research the AATE program started. The engine developed for ITEP is to be a drop-in replacement for the General Electric T700 engine that currently powers the AH-64 Apache and the UH-60 Black Hawk. The program seeks to realize the goals set by the AATE program, as well as meet more specific goals, such as improving lift capability for the AH-64 and the UH-60 in hot climates and high altitudes as well as increasing aircraft mission radius by as much as 500 km.

Both GE Aviation and the Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC) are developing engines for this program, the GE3000 and the HPW3000 respectively. ATEC is a 50/50 joint venture created in 2007 between Honeywell Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.

Both competitors are looking to carry out both durability and performance demonstration testing throughout 2012 as the four-and-a-half year S&T phase concludes. ATEC completed a Core Engine (High Pressure system only) test in mid-2011 on the HPW3000 and recently completed Gas Generator (both High and Low Pressure systems) testing in January 2012. The HPW3000 has been reported to be a two-spool engine that can start with or without an auxiliary power unit (APU). The GE3000 engine is also reported to have the ability to perform an APU-less start.


 * The Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) program is a project of the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) and is intended to validate technologies needed to achieve the aggressive performance goals of the Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). The AATE program is under the larger research and development umbrella of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) initiative.


 * The Army plans to move directly from the AATE technology demonstration program into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the ITEP program. In July 2009, the Army's Utility Helicopter Project Office released to industry a request for information (RFI) for the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) and has since issued two additional RFI's signaling maturation of their ITEP acquisition strategy.


 * ITEP is an Army program to build a 50% more powerful and 25% more fuel-efficient engine for the current Apache and Black Hawk helicopter fleet. ITEP provides significantly increased operational capability, fuel efficiency, range and payload to meet Army mission requirements, including operations in high/hot environments. A new engine will allow the Army to transport more troops safely and at a lower cost to the taxpayer.


 * ATEC completed a Core Engine (High Pressure system only) test in mid-2011 and recently completed Gas Generator (both High and Low Pressure systems) testing in January 2012.