GE Aviation detailed in a recent press release its plans to build its new turboprop development, test and engine production headquarters in the Czech Republic (first announced in September 2015). The headquarters will be called the GE Turboprop Center of Excellence (CoE) and will highlight’s GE’s continuous investment across Europe in support of GE’s turboprop development and production plans. The facility is expected to open in 2020 and will manufacture GE’s advanced turboprop engine (ATP) to power Textron Aviation’s new single-engine turboprop (SETP) aircraft launched in November, 2015. ATP design and testing will take place in GE’s existing turboprop development facilities until the new facility is finished.
GE Aviation will bring the expertise of its existing turbo prop facility in the Czech Republic with the new facility. In 2012, The existing facility began producing H Series turboprop engines in the 750 to 850 shaft horsepower (shp) range. GE plans to innovate on those engines with its technologies gained from commercial jet engine work to pursue new turboprop engines in the 1000 to 2000 shp range (including GE’s ATP engine for Textron). According to GE, the Textron engine features a 16:1 overall pressure ratio, allowing the engine to achieve up to 20% lower fuel burn and 10% higher cruise power compared to competitor offerings in the same size class.
The investment is also the result of a long-term strategy and cooperation between GE Aviation and the governmental agency CzechInvest to enhance the footprint of high-tech sectors in the Czech Republic. The new facility will create more than 500 new jobs.
“GE’s considerable investment is evidence that the Czech Republic is an attractive place for foreign investors. If we realize this investment opportunity it will create more than 500 new jobs in the coming years, and this would represent a 125% increase in the number of GE employees in our country. Another important thing to note is that the Memorandum signed today will help increase the number of qualified people in the aviation sector, and increase related mutual activities between the Czech Republic and GE Aviation,” said Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
“GE Aviation in Prague has achieved so much since its launch in 2008, most notably by leveraging the robust design of the Walter M601 engine and incorporating GE’s 3-D aerodynamic design techniques and advanced materials to create a more powerful, fuel-efficient and durable turboprop engine in the H Series,” said Brad Mottier, vice president of GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation and Integrated Systems business. “With the new Czech GE Center of Excellence, the ATP will join the H Series as the first engines designed, tested and manufactured outside the United States, incorporating the best of our proven technologies into our newest family of turboprops powering next-gen aircraft, like Textron’s SETP.”
The new Turboprop CoE will continue research on a 5,000 shp turboprop engine for the regional market, leveraging GE’s advanced turboshaft development programs. GE Aviation has the largest development engine portfolio in the jet propulsion industry, investing more than $2 billion annually in R&D.
In November 2015, GE Aviation unveiled its all-new ATP engine after being selected by Textron to power its SETP. The 1,300 SHP-rated engine is the first entry in GE’s new family of turboprop engines aimed at Business and General Aviation aircraft.
Textron Aviation’s GE-powered SETP is expected to have a range of more than 1,500 nautical miles and speeds higher than 280 knots. The company is hoping to reveal more details at Oshkosh Airventure 2016.