Gas Turbines for Emergency Vehicles

Gas turbines have demonstrated their practicability in trucks, particularly those needing high horsepower and light weight combined with agility and reliability. These are the primary requirements of emergency vehicles such as fire fighting pumpers and crash trucks. Several installations powered by Boeing gas turbines are described, and comparisons to reciprocating engines are made. For vehicles of high power/weight ratio, the built-in torque converter feature of two-shaft gas turbines provides the automatic transmission feature that is needed for high density traffic operation or for hilly terrain. Trends in gas turbine design are briefly mentioned along with other system requirements for emergency vehicles.