GE Aviation is to manufacture the engines for Bell Helicopter's V-280 Valor third-generation tiltrotor, the airframer has announced. Bell has not revealed which specific GE powerplant will be used with the V-280, but says that government funding from the US Army's future affordable turbine engine (FATE) programme will allow it to provide a "robust, durable engine". GE has previously said that technologies developed through FATE, such as advanced cooling systems, could be inserted directly into its GE38 engine, which will power Sikorsky's CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter, in development for the US Marine Corps. More than 3,100h of testing has been completed on the 7,500shp-class (5,520kW) GE38, with GE expecting to receive full military certification sometime next year. The CH-53K is due to be flown for the first time at the end of 2014. The GE38 is in the same thrust-range as Rolls-Royce's AE1107C Liberty engine, two of which power the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. Bell has additionally con-firmed that UK-based aerostructures specialist GKN is to design and manufacture the V-280's V-tail and "ruddervator" components. Bell's medium-lift V-280 Valor is seen as a potential replacement for the US Army's current Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters. The company says its design will be able to fly twice as fast at the in-service type, and have a deploy able range of 2,100nm (3,890km).
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