Hill Says Turbine Engine for HX50 To Cost Under $100k | Aviation International News

Hill Says Turbine Engine for HX50 To Cost Under $100k

According to Hill Helicopters, the unit cost of the GT50 turbine engine for its HX50 helicopter will be less than $100,000.

Hill Helicopters GT50 turbine engine — Hill Helicopters says the unit cost of its GT50 turbine engine will be less than $100,000. (Photo: Hill Helicopters)

By Mark Huber • Contributor

February 6, 2023

Hill Helicopters CEO Jason Hill claims his company can build its GT50 turbine engine for less than $100,000 each. Hill called available engines “unreasonably expensive,” giving his company “no choice” but to “think bigger” for its HX50 helicopter, he told AIN.

While the GT50 traces its origin in an industrial engine to provide “low development risk,” the design has been modified for the helicopter. Hill replaced the three-chamber combustor with an annular combustor to improve the size of the package and reduce weight. It also swapped the two-stage turbine with a single-stage model that is slightly higher loaded and optimized the secondary air system to improve cooling.

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