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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1306.PDF
COMMERCIAL ENGINES Rolls-Royce's Trent 650 broke the 311kN (70,0001b thrust) barrier last year (right). Pratt & Whitney has clinched first place on the 777 with its proven PW4000 (far right, top). General Electric's GE90 will be certificated at 389kN in November 1994, (far right, bottom) BIG-FAN BATTLE With further Boeing 777 orders expected soon, the battle to power the biggest twin yet is intensifying. Guy Norris reviews the competition and asseses the risks and rewards. Paris can be very hot in June. For the major engine manufacturers com peting for business on the Boeing 777 twinjet, the temperatures will never seem higher. The aircraft/engine orders expected to be announced at the Paris air show in June could certainly set the seal on trends in the big-fan business for the rest of the decade. At stake is business worth at least $50 billion, according to General Electric (GE) senior vice-president Brian Rowe. "We ex pect the market to require as many as 2,500 aircraft, more than 6,000 installed and spare engines, between now and the year 2010. We anticipate that the GE90 will power a sizeable number of these new aircraft, generating approximately $50 billion in revenue," he says. While GE says its engine is designed for the 777 "and other potential widebody applications", it is the 777 which provides the focus for all-comers. Airbus has not yet launched heavier versions of its A330, for which GE is offering its CF6-80E1. McDon nell Douglas is in a similar position with its MD-12X, so the 777 is therefore the only real airframe around that requires real engines to power it. So far, it is only the 325kN (73,0001b- thrust) Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW4073 which has secured a position on the 777. Since its official launch last October on the back of an order for 34 from United Airlines, the 777 has attracted orders for a further 15 from All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan. Options stand at 44, ten of which are held by ANA. United specified the P&W engine for its aircraft, while ANA is ex pected to announce its decision by June. Rolls-Royce (R-R), which is offering the Trent 871, 872 and 883 for the 777, is cautiously optimistic that the experience gained in the "evolutionary" development of the RB.211-based Trent line will place it favourably in the competition. Traditional R-R customers, Cathay Pacific and British Airways, are in the frame for 777 decisions. So too American Airlines, which selected the RB211-535E4 to power its fleet of 757s but which operates a far larger number of both GE and P&W engines. REWARDS AND RISKS While all three manufacturers talk about rewards, few mention the risks. P&W is extending its existing PW4000 core to fit the high-thrust needs of the 777 and, similarly, R-R is developing the Trent di rectly from the RB.211 family. GE is unique among all three for seeking a solution from an all-new core. Other than the development risks, the manufacturers must also face the marketing issues when the engines are built. In this sense, P&W is spreading its risk by supply ing variants of its PW4000 to existing aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and McDon nell Douglas MD-11 as well as future types such as the A330 and 777. R-R is also spreading the load by placing the Trent on the MD-11 and A330 as well as on the 777. GE, therefore, is unique in applying its new engine solely to the 777 at first, and then developing derivatives for later applications. GE remains bullish about its engine programme, saying it is "...competing very hard with all of the customers and potential customers who have either chosen or are considering the Boeing 777. We are very confident in our product and we feel confident that our customers will recognise the superior characteristics of the GE90." The company adds: "We are very happy with the progress made with the GE90 programme so far", which it says is "...on schedule and shows every sign of progress ing as planned". GE's programme schedule calls for the first core to be tested during the first quarter of 1992, followed by the running of the first complete engine about a year later. The first GE90 is slated for certification at 389kN in November 1994 and entry into service on the 777, at the lower rating of 342kN, is expected around mid-1995. The key design feature of the GE engine is the huge, 3.12m-diameter fan, which will be instrumental in boosting the bypass ratio to between 9:1 and 10:1. At the service- entry thrust level of 342kN, the GE90's wide-chord fan (WCF) blades will be ex pected to pump through l,520kg/s of air at the top of the climb compared to 830kg/s 30 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 - 28 May, 1991
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