The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) will take receipt of the first T58 Engine Reliability Improvement Program (ERIP) gas path module during a ceremony on April 22 at the General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) facility in Lynn, Mass.

Featured speakers at the event are Maj. Gen. Michael A. Hough, assistant deputy commandant for Marine Corps Aviation, William Balderson, deputy commander for NAVAIR Acquisition and Operations, Dave Pauling, director of Propulsion and Power for NAVAIR, and Russell F. Sparks, vice president and general manager of Military Engines for GEAE.

Working with GEAE, manufacturer of the CH-46E helicopter's T58-GE-16 engine, NAVAIR and the Marine Corps launched a $200 million effort 18 months ago to reverse a severe decline in engine reliability and provide safe performance to bridge the gap during an extended transition to the replacement MV-22 Osprey. ERIP, which is an ACAT-IVM program, is managed by NAVAIR’s H-46 Program Office (PMA-226) and is running ahead of schedule and under budget.

The GEAE gas path module will be assembled into a complete engine with overhauled accessories at Naval Aviation Depot Cherry Point, N.C. This modification will upgrade the engine to the T58-GE-16A and will significantly increase reliability and performance margin through the use of new hardware and modern engine manufacturing and assembly processes.

The first module will be built up into an engine in May 2002 and testing will be performed by NAVAIR. Successful testing will trigger the decision process for low-rate initial production in July 2002. A second set of GEAE gas path modules will be delivered in May 2002, built up into engines and delivered to HMX-1 for an operational assessment.

Completion of the assessment will trigger a Milestone III full-rate production decision in January 2003. Production deliveries of T58-GE-16A to the fleet engines will begin in April 2003 and quickly ramp up to eight per month. The total number of engines upgraded by the program is currently slated at 303.

(Call Renee Hatcher at 301-757-5138 for more information on this release.)