HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army has issued a Sources Sought notice for companies capable of producing the T901-GE-900 turboshaft engine, as the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) moves toward its production phase.
The notice was posted August 14, 2026, by the Army’s Aviation Turbine Engines Project Office, with responses due by August 29. It is being used for market research and planning and will not directly result in a contract award. The program is advancing under the Middle Tier Acquisition pathway.
The T901 is a 3,000-shaft-horsepower engine developed by GE Aerospace. It is designed as a form, fit and function replacement for the T700-GE-701D engines used by the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64E Apache fleets. The engine fits within the existing engine nacelles, avoiding major structural modifications to the aircraft.
The Army selected the T901 in 2019 under ITEP to provide greater power and improved fuel efficiency. The engine is intended to provide about 50 percent more power and 25 percent better specific fuel consumption compared with the T700 while maintaining the same installation envelope. The T901 was also originally planned for the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) before that program was canceled.
T901 flight testing on the Black Hawk began in May 2025, following ground testing. As of mid-August 2026, the engine had accumulated about 2,600 hours of test-stand operation and more than 90 hours of aircraft testing, including flights reaching 17,000 feet and 160 knots. The Army has recently granted the engine a preliminary flight rating, with additional airworthiness testing planned.
Technical Data and Production Requirements
The Army’s notice states that the government does not currently have a complete Technical Data Package (TDP) for the T901. The missing information includes system and subsystem drawings, tooling drawings and software source code and models.
For the future production contract, the Army wants all delivered hardware and software to carry at least Government Purpose Rights. This would allow the government to share technical information with other contractors for maintenance, sustainment and future competitive requirements.
The anticipated production contract would have a 60-month period of performance, with production work expected primarily in Lynn, Massachusetts. The contract would cover engines along with:
- Spare parts and special tooling
- Support equipment and shipping containers
- Interim contractor logistics support
- Depot maintenance work requirements
- Contractor field service representatives
- Associated training programs
Maintenance support is expected to involve the engine’s original equipment manufacturer as well as the manufacturers of the Black Hawk and Apache.
Production Timeline and Industry Information
The Army expects production deliveries to begin no later than 2031 and be completed by 2033. The deliveries will support the Army’s First Unit Equipped and First Unit Issued fielding milestones.
The procurement falls under NAICS code 336412, Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing, and is designated as a partial Small Business Set-Aside.
Interested companies must provide information on their size, ownership structure and small-business status, along with technical data showing that their manufacturing approach meets Airworthiness Release criteria. The Army also requests engine dimensions and weight specifications, previous airworthiness qualification test reports and pricing estimates.
Companies are also being asked whether they maintain a technical, logistics and contracting presence in the Huntsville, Alabama, area, near the Army contracting office at Redstone Arsenal.
The Sources Sought notice is part of the Army’s market research as it prepares for T901 production and the planned replacement of T700 engines across the Black Hawk and Apache fleets.
——— End of Article ———
