Aircraft Engine Component Improvement Program

The Aircraft Engine Component Improvement Program falls under the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation budget activity for the Army. The specific goals and objectives of this program include developing, testing, and qualifying improvements to aircraft engine components to address service-revealed deficiencies, enhance flight safety, improve readiness, and reduce operating and support costs. Additionally, the program provides test vehicles for the testing and qualification efforts required as part of the Army's Critical Safety Item (CSI) program. It also addresses non-program specific Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) as well as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) safety and readiness issues.

The program's planned activities include in-house engineering support for UAV engine CIP programs, contracting support for CIP contracts, and UAS component investigations to support airworthiness, reliability, and performance improvements of critical UAV components. The funding changes reflect the planned lifecycle of these efforts. The acquisition strategy involves implementing improved designs via Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) and follow-on procurement or modification to a production contract to introduce the improved hardware. These activities aim to ensure the continued enhancement of aircraft engine components to meet safety and performance requirements while optimizing operational costs.