The General Electric T64 is a
free-turbine turboshaft engine that was originally developed for use on
helicopters, but which was later used on
fixed-wing aircraft as well.
General Electric introduced the engine in 1964. The original engine design included technical innovations such as corrosion resistant and high-temperature coatings.[1] The engine features a high
overall pressure ratio, yielding a low
specific fuel consumption for its time.[2] Although the compressor is all-axial, like the earlier
General Electric T58, the power turbine shaft is coaxial with the HP shaft and delivers power to the front of the engine, not rearwards. Fourteen compressor stages are required to deliver the required overall pressure ratio. Compressor handling is facilitated by 4 rows of
variable stators. Unlike the T58, the power turbine has 2 stages.
Later versions of the engine produce from 3,925 to 4,750 shp (2,927 to 3,542 kW).[3]
The engine was designed to accommodate different
gearboxes or shaft drives, for helicopter or
turboprop fixed-wing applications. The engine could be operated continuously at angles between 100 degrees upward and 45 degrees downward for
STOL or helicopter applications.[4]