The T901-GE-900 prototype engine installed at General Electric's test facility. (General Electric)

Delivery of the General Electric T901 engine to the US Army is now scheduled for boreal fall of 2023, General Electric said in a statement, delayed from spring 2023.

The delivery has been delayed several times; the spring 2023 date was a delay from a then-projected November 2022 delivery.

The army intends to test the engines and simultaneously deliver one engine each to Bell Helicopters and Sikorsky in early fiscal year (FY) 2024. Both companies will use the engines for their Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) demonstrators, the Bell 360 Invictus and Sikorsky Raider-X, neither of which can take flight without the engine.

Both demonstrators are nearly complete, aside from the engine. The contractors have used inoperative, 3D-printed plastic engines to test how the engine fits with their aircraft in anticipation of T901 deliveries.

“We are laser-focused on execution and working closely with the army to deliver flight-test engines this fall to support the FARA competitive prototypes,” General Electric said in a statement.

NHI has sold 597 NH90s to 14 different customers, including most lately Qatar (pictured). While the programme has been a success in terms of sales, some customers have complained of poor availability in particular. (NHIndustries)

Airbus is convinced it has the proper structures in place to enhance the user experience of the NHIndustries (NHI) NH90 helicopter, although the results have not yet manifested themselves, a senior official said on 17 March.

Speaking at the handover of the 500th NH90 to the international programme, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told Janes and other defence media that measures that have been drafted should see the desired improvement in availability levels in particular, but that these are not yet coming through.

The TF-X/MMU made its first engine runs on 17 March. (Turkish Aerospace)

Turkish Aerospace (TA) marked and announced upcoming major milestones for its four primary combat aviation programmes during Turkey's Gallipoli ‘Victory Day' on 18 March.

TA president and CEO Temel Kotil announced developments pertaining to the Turkish Fighter Experimental (TF-X)/National Combat Aircraft (MMU), and the Hürjet advanced jet trainer aircraft, as well as noting upcoming milestones for the ATAK 2 attack helicopter, and the ANKA 3 low-observable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

“We have kept our promise to our nation in the Century of Turkey. MMU and Hürjet taxied, ATAK 2 will start the engine soon, and ANKA 3 will make its first flight,” Kotil announced from his official Twitter account.

Images released by the Defence Industry Agency (SSB) showed the TF-X/MMU advanced ‘fifth-generation' combat aircraft undergoing initial engine runs at TA's Ankara facility on 17 March, and the Hürjet doing the same the following day.

As Kotil recently briefed Janes