Airbus and Pratt & Whitney will partner on flight testing the Geared Turbofan engine using an Airbus-owned A340 flying test bed. The flight testing will provide first-hand experience with the performance of the Geared Turbofan engine, which targets double-digit improvements in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs. The Airbus testing will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and will follow Pratt & Whitney's own ground and flight test program. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
"We are delighted at the opportunity to partner with Airbus on flight testing the Geared Turbofan engine," said Todd Kallman, president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "Testing the Geared Turbofan engine throughout its entire operating envelope using the Airbus A340 flight test aircraft, combined with the tremendous experience of the Airbus flight test team, will provide us with valuable installation and operating data to further evaluate the performance of this new engine architecture."
Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan demonstrator engine recently began Phase II ground testing at the company's advanced test facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. Phase II of the ground test program will focus on engine performance and acoustic characteristics with a flight-capable nacelle system prior to mid-year flight testing. The Geared Turbofan demonstrator engine has logged approximately 150 hours since ground testing began in November 2007.
In 2007, Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan engine was selected as the exclusive power for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the proposed Bombardier CSeries. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet program was officially launched on March 28, 2008, with an order from All Nippon Airways. The CSeries program is expected to launch later this year. Both aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2013.
The Geared Turbofan engine is expected to set new standards in environmental performance and operating value for the next generation of commercial aircraft. In a Geared Turbofan engine, a state-of-the-art gear system allows the engine's fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for reduced noise. The Geared Turbofan engine builds on more than 20 years of technology development with improvements in every major module.
Pratt & Whitney has over 17,000 aircraft engines installed with hundreds of airlines around the world. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney is a leading participant in two joint venture companies that manufacture commercial aircraft engines: International Aero Engines, which makes the V2500 for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and the Engine Alliance, whose GP7200 engine is FAR 33 certified for the new Airbus A380.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.
This article was prepared by Defense & Aerospace Business editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2008, Defense & Aerospace Business via VerticalNews.com.
