Aircraft

Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce continue to focus on the International Aero Engines consortium as their preferred route to market for a next-generation single-aisle powerplant, despite some fundamental differences over the optimum architecture.

"We think that the geared turbofan is the better product, but we will look at the technologies in IAE and ask: 'What is the best of the best to bring forward to the market?'," says P&W senior vice-president sales and marketing, large commercial engines, Robert Keady. "We are not jamming the GTF down Rolls's throat," he adds.

R-R says it also remains committed to IAE, although it is dismissing the two-shaft GTF as a suitable architecture for future single-aisle airliners.

"The GTF does not cause us any sleepless nights," says Norbert Arndt, R-R Deutschland managing director engineering. He says an ungeared three-shaft turbofan of equivalent size could deliver comparable performance improvements, and adds that the UK company continues to study various concepts that include both two- and three-shaft designs, as well as open rotors.