The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca (RRTM) RTM322 turboshaft engine has been qualified to the specific stringent military requirements of the NH Industries (NHI) NH90 twin-engine multi-role helicopter. This milestone, which is additional to the engine civil certification achieved in 2004, was marked by Eurocopter’s signature of the Declaration of Design and Performance (DDP) for the RTM322-01/9, which is rated at 2,427 shp.
The FADEC-equipped RTM322-01/9 has been selected by ten of the eleven nations to order the NH90 which has been jointly developed by Eurocopter and AgustaWestland. Customers include Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Portugal and Sweden. Growth versions of the engine are already in development, with an initial 2,600 shp class ‘Step 0’ variant already selected for a firm NH90 customer requirement.
Emeric d’Arcimoles, Director of RRTM, said: “Qualification of the RTM322-01/9 is a key milestone for the engine program, and one which represents the culmination of our close working relationship with NH Industries over the past decade.
“The RTM322 engine provides NH90 operators with an unparalleled combination of performance, reliability and maintainability, and this has been reflected in the engine’s selection rate. We look forward to working with NHI and its partner companies on further developments of the RTM322 over the life of the NH90 program to ensure that it remains the most capable platform in its class.”
Approximately 1,500 RTM322 engines, including orders and options, have been announced for NH90, WAH-64 Apache and EH101 helicopters.
