U.S. Army and industry test pilots have now flown almost 30 hours with next-generation GE T901 engines in the UH-60M Black Hawk, Sikorsky has revealed.
Developed under the Improved Turbine Engine program (ITEP), the 3,000-shaft horsepower T901 promises up to 50 percent more power while delivering significantly improved fuel efficiency.
The ITEP flight test campaign began in May 2025 with the aim of validating performance and gathering data.
As of April 2, the testing team had completed 22 flights, as well as almost 40 hours of ground tests.
The flights have taken the aircraft up to 17,000 feet pressure altitude, and tests have included partial power descent/recoveries and autorotations, and inflight shutdowns and restarts.
The team has flown turns and sideslips and 80 and 120 knots, and performed bank turns at angles of up to 60 degrees.
In addition to integrating the new engine into the Black Hawk, Sikorsky is developing useful load enhancements for the type, as well as integrating autonomous capabilities and a modular open systems approach (MOSA)/digital backbone.
“We share a common vision with the U.S. Army: to support our warfighters with a modernized Black Hawk fleet that can carry more, fly farther and stay mission ready longer. The ongoing Black Hawk modernization efforts will turn that vision into reality for the next generation of warfighters,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. “These capabilities expand the helicopter’s role from a transport asset to a networked battlefield node, essential for the Army’s vision of a connected, all domain fight.”
Load enhancements include drone command integration (the ability to support launched effects and mission systems), a 30 percent larger main fuel cell that will increase range, and modular nose to provide a reconfigurable, open architecture solution.
“The modernized Black Hawk with an upgraded engine is more than a power upgrade; it’s a catalyst for mission command flexibility,” said Ken Demaree, vice president of Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky. “Our warfighters will be able to carry the right equipment, to the right place, faster and with fewer sustainment constraints.”
