On July 1, 1959, it became the first turbine engine to gain FAA certification for civil helicopter use.

The engine was license-built and further developed by de Havilland in the UK as the Gnome, in the West Germany by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz,[1] and also manufactured by Alfa Romeo and the IHI Corporation.

Development commenced with a 1953 US Navy requirement for a helicopter turboshaft to weigh under 400 lb (180 kg) while delivering 800 hp (600 kW).

The engine General Electric eventually built weighed only 250 lb (110 kg) and delivered 1,050 hp (780 kW) and was soon ordered into production.

[2] A number of unusual features are incorporated into the T58:[3] The main production version of the engine was the T58-GE-10, developing 1,400 hp (1,044 kW).