The Continental CAE T51 was a small

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

engine produced by Continental Aviation and Engineering (CAE) under license from

Turbomeca Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbin ...

. A development of the Artouste, it was followed by three additional turboshaft engines, the T72, the T65, and the T67. However, none of these engines, including the T51, entered full production. CAE abandoned turboshaft development in 1967 after the XT67 lost to the

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T Twin-Pac is a turboshaft engine designed for helicopters. Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada, its first application was in the Bell 212 and UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter family. The PT6T Twin-Pac consists of two ...

(T400) to power the Bell

UH-1N Twin Huey The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is a member of the extensive Huey family, the initial version was the CUH-1N Twin Huey (later CH-135 Twi ...

Variants and derivatives

;XT51-1: (Model 210) Based on the

Turbomeca Artouste I The Turbomeca Artouste is an early French turboshaft engine, first run in 1947. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit (APU), it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found a niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopter ...

; 280 shp. ;XT51-3: (Model 220-2) Based on the

Turbomeca Artouste II The Turbomeca Artouste is an early French turboshaft engine, first run in 1947. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit (APU), it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found a niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopter ...

; 425 shp. ;XT72: (Model 217-5) Based on the

Turbomeca Astazou The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful series of turboprop and turboshaft engines, first run in 1957. The original version weighed and developed at 40,000 rpm. It was admitted for aviation service on May 29, 1961, after a 150-hour test r ...

; 600 shp. ;XT65: (Model 217-10) A scaled-down version of the Astazou; competed against the

Allison T63 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...

to power the

Light Observation Helicopter The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was ai ...

; 305 shp. ;T65-T-1: ;XT67: (Model 217A) two engines driving a common gearbox; based on the

Turbomeca Astazou X The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful series of turboprop and turboshaft engines, first run in 1957. The original version weighed and developed at 40,000 rpm. It was admitted for aviation service on May 29, 1961, after a 150-hour test r ...

and T72; 1,540 shp. ;Model 210:Company designation for the XT51-1 ;Model 217-5:Company designation for the XT72 ;Model 217-10:Company designation for the XT65 ;Model 217A:Company designation for the XT67 ;Model 217A-2A:Company designation for the T67-T-1 ;Model 219:similar to 220-2 with extra axial compressor stage ;Model 220-2:Company designation for the XT51-3 ;Model 227-4A:Company designation for the T65-T-1 ;Model TS325-1:Alternative company designation for the T65-T-1 ;Model 327-5:Turboprop version of the T65-T-1

Applications

;XT51-1 * XL-19C Bird Dog *

Sikorsky XH-39 The Sikorsky XH-39 (manufacturer designation S-59), developed by Sikorsky Aircraft in 1954, was the U.S. Army's first turbine-powered helicopter. It was fast and innovative, but ultimately rejected by the United States Army in favor of the Bel ...

(S-59) ;XT51-3 *

Bell 201 The Bell 201 (military designation XH-13F) was a modified Model 47G, the first Bell helicopter to use a turbine engine.Donald, David, ed. "Bell 47". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. . The Bell 201 was ...

(XH-13F) ;XT67 * Bell 208 ;XT72 * Republic Lark (license-built

Aérospatiale Alouette II The Aérospatiale Alouette II (, " lark"; company designations SE 313 and SA 318) is a French light helicopter originally manufactured by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale. It was the first production helicopter powered by a gas turbine ...

Variants and derivatives

Applications

Specifications (XT51-3)

See also

References

Further reading

External links