The Garrett ATF3 (US military designation F104) is a 3-spool

turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...

engine developed at the California division of

Garrett AiResearch Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Compa ...

. Due to mergers it is currently supported by

Honeywell Aerospace Honeywell Aerospace Technologies is a manufacturer of aircraft engines and avionics, as well as a producer of auxiliary power units (APUs) and other aviation products. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, it is a division of the Honeywell Intern ...

. The engine's design is unusual; the core flow path is reversed twice. Aft of the fan, the axial compressor has five stages, after which the gas path progresses to the aft end of the engine. There, it is reversed to flow through a centrifugal compressor stage, the combustors and then the turbine stages. Beyond this, the flow is then reversed again to exit through the fan bypass duct. All engine accessories are mounted on the aft end of the engine under an engine tail-cone.

Design and development

The ATF3 was first flown in the Teledyne Ryan YQM-98 Compass Cope R high altitude UAV, as the YF104-GA-100. The engine proved to have a very low infrared signature, as the hot turbine was not externally visible and the core exhaust mixed with the bypass air before exiting the engine. The pilots of U-2 high altitude chase planes reported being unable pick up the YQM-98A with either radar or IR sensors. It was later used in the

Northrop Tacit Blue The Northrop Tacit Blue is a technology demonstrator aircraft created to demonstrate that a low-observable Stealth technology, stealth surveillance aircraft with a low probability of intercept radar, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR) and ...

stealth demonstrator because of these characteristics.ATF3 Airframe Applications.
Retrieved 26 June 2011 The most significant application of the engine was on the Dassault HU-25 Guardian, developed for the US Coast Guard. It was also used on the Dassault Falcon 20G and Dassault Falcon 200. The ATF3 was "selected by

North American Rockwell North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F- ...

for its new Series 60 Sabreliner business jet. . . . wever, the ATF3 developed engineering and production problems. Delivery schedules were not met. North American Rockwell brought a $60 million suit against Garrett. . . . The suit was settled out of court for less than $5 million cash. The engine was ultimately selected for a version of the

Dassault Falcon The Dassault Falcon is a family of business jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation. Dassault produce the midsize Falcon 2000S/LXS twinjet, the long-range Falcon 6X twinjet and Falcon 900LX trijet, and ultra-long range Dassault Falcon 7X/8X trij ...

ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard for offshore surveillance."William Schoneberger and Robert R. H. Scholl, ''Out of Thin Air: Garrett's First 50 Years'' (Los Angeles: The Garrett Corporation, 1985): pp. 175-176.

Applications

* Dassault Falcon 20G * Dassault Falcon 200 * Dassault HU-25 Guardian *

* Ryan YQM-98 R-Tern (Compass Cope R)

Specifications (ATF3/F104-GA-100)

Citations

References

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External links