LYNN — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton announced Wednesday that the Army has awarded a $208.16 million contract to General Electric Aviation, which the company will use to overhaul an engine that powers several military helicopters.
A majority of this work, which will consist of producing the spare parts to overhaul the T700 engine, will take place in Lynn at the GE River Works plant, according to Moulton, who helped to secure this contract.
“When I was in Iraq, few things were more comforting than hearing a Black Hawk or Apache overhead,” said Moulton. “I didn’t know at the time that the engines I heard were built a few miles from where I grew up. Lynn had my back then and I’m proud to continue going to bat for them now.
“This work isn’t just about jobs — though it will support good jobs in Lynn. It is about our national security and continuing to hold the upper hand on the battlefield,” he said.
The T700 engine powers several military helicopters, which include the H-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Longbow Apache. The Army contract will fund an overhaul of the engine’s cold section module, which provides clean air to the rest of the engine, according to Moulton’s office.
More than 20,000 T700 engines have been produced by GE over the past four decades, with its powered military aircraft surpassing more than 100 million flight hours over that time period, according to the company.
“GE is proud to continue its support of the Army’s T700 engine fleet through this overhaul contract,” said Harry Nahatis, vice president and general manager of GE Turboshaft Engines. “With more than 100 million engine flight hours, the T700 engine continues to prove its mettle and reliability for over four decades of military service.”
This particular Army contract follows several other contracts Moulton has helped to secure for GE during his time in Congress; in February 2019, Moulton helped to secure a $517.37 million contract for the Improved Turbine Engine Program, and in 2016, GE was awarded a contract for work on more than 2,000 helicopters.
Moulton is a member of the Armed Services Committee, which writes the legislation Congress uses to fund the Pentagon, which ultimately distributes the government contracts that fund this work at GE.
