In response to an Air Force request in 1952 for a 373 - 522 kW (500- to 700-hp) turboprop engine, Lycoming produced two designs, both of which could be converted to turboshafts to power helicopters by removing the propeller gearbox. Lycoming was awarded a contract to develop a free-turbine turboshaft engine, designated LTC1 (military designation T53-L-1). It was military qualified in 1958, and the first production engine delivered in 1959.

The front-drive, concentric-shaft design became a widely accepted U.S. standard for turboshaft engines. The T53 gave Lycoming its start in the aircraft gas turbine business and played a key role in the expansion of the Army's airmobile role during the Vietnam War. The T53 powered the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) and AH-1 HueyCobra helicopters, and this turboprop artifact powered the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk airplane.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date Circa 1960s Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Turbines (Jet) Manufacturer Lycoming (Stratford, Connecticut)
 Physical Description Type: Turboprop, two-shaft Power Rating: 820 kw (1,100 shp) Compressor: 5-stage axial and 1-stage centrifugal Combustor: Annular Turbine: Single-stage axial for gas generator, single-stage axial free power Weight: 252 kg (555 lb) Dimensions Overall: 555lb. (251.7kg)
Other: 4 ft. 10 3/8 in. × 1 ft. 11 in. (148.3 × 58.4cm)
Storage: 100.3 × 185.4 × 109.2cm (3 ft. 3 1/2 in. × 6 ft. 1 in. × 3 ft. 7 in.)
 Inventory Number A19830339000 Credit Line Transferred from the U.S. Army Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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