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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 1036.PDF
HEADLINES GE investigates new turboprop for regionals BY KIERAN DALY IN WASHINGTON DC General Electric is studying the possible launch of a new turboprop for regional air liners, nominally in the 2,200kW (3,000shp) class. International partners for the project are likely to include the Czechoslovakian engine maker Motorlet, with which GE has been developing links, says Lou Bevilacqua, general manager for the company's turboshaft/turbo- prop project department. He adds that the new engine would be "a scaled-down version of some of our existing program mes" but incorporating technol ogy from the US Government- funded Integrated High-Perform- ance Turbine Engine Technol ogy and Joint Turbine Advanced Gas-generator programmes. "We think there is the poten tial for a world-class engine for high-speed turboprops," says Bevilacqua. GE already has a contender in that class with the GLC38, but the engine has struggled against Allison's GMA2100 which scored a major success on the Saab 2000 and has also been selected for the IPTN N-250. The engines were pitted against each other for the de Havilland Dash-8-400 regional twin-turboprop programme which fell victim to the Boeing sale of de Havilland but which could be revived under Bombar dier's management. • Bevilacqua confirms that the GE CT7-9-powered version of the Czech-built Let 610 regional twin-turboprop should fly in August and may appear at the Farnborough air show the fol lowing month. The Let 610 is offered with the Motorlet M602 engine, but Bevilacqua says GE and Motorlet are now to form a joint venture, details of which will be an nounced shortly. He indicates, however, that the CT7-powered L.610 Gaircraft is now the prior ity, leaving the future of the M.602 version unclear. • I US Navy starts bid race for STOVL requirement BY SIMON ELLIOTT The US Navy has defined its requirement for a super sonic short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) fighter, to be based around the US Air Force's advanced tactical fighter (ATF) engine. A demonstrator is sched uled to be flying by 1999, ac cording to Mick Mansell, British Aerospace Military Aircraft's di rector of advanced technology. The aircraft will feature a rear- mounted ATF engine and a for ward-mounted remotely driven fan to provide STOVL lift for ward. The fan will either be shaft- or gas-driven from the core. In the latter case, gas would be fed from the ATF engine core to a turbine which would power the fan. The num ber of exhausts from the fan and core, and the mix of air (either core, fan or mixed) through each exhaust are not yet decided. The Navy's programme is being run initially through the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is expected to issue re quests for proposals (RFP) for the STOVL aircraft on 15 May. Industry teams will have until July to respond to the RFP. Each team's response is likely to fea ture two aircraft proposals, one with a shaft- and one with a gas-driven fan. Each bid will make a recommendation as to which option the team prefers. DARPA will award two 30- month contracts in mid-Septem ber to "validate the two most promising aircraft concepts", with one contract going to the best shaft-driven and one to the best gas-driven design. One bid der is unlikely to be awarded both contracts. At the end of the 30-month period, DARPA will select the most promising of the two de- Boeing wins Cathay order by a stretch BY GUY NORRIS IN LOS ANGELES Cathay Pacific has chosen Boeing's 777 over the Air bus A330-400X for its long- awaited new widebody, in a decision influenced by Boeing's apparent willingness to offer a stretched version of its twinjet. The Hong Kong-based airline has placed orders and options on 22 Boeing 777s with a poten tial value of $3.4 billion. The order is also significant to Rolls-Royce which stands to earn around $500 million for Trent 800 turbofans selected against the General Electric GE90 and Pratt & Whitney PW4000 to power the fleet. Although at least the first 11 aircraft will be the "A" model of the 777, which can fly 9,000km (4,900nm), the prospect of a stretched version of the twinjet was the key to the decision. The airline has the right to convert its 11 additional options to the new variant or to the 12,200km long-range "B" model. The stretched version, which Boeing 777 /lies clear in contest for Cathay Pacific colours could be available in 1998, will have seating for 60 more passen gers than the "A" model but will have the same range. Cathay requires an aircraft with this capacity to replace Lockheed L- 1011s and 747-200s on Far East regional routes and sees the stretched 777, with a 9.6m longer fuselage, as compli mentary to the shorter versions set to enter service from the first quarter of 1996 (Flight Interna tional, 15-21 April). Chief engineer for 777 mar keting, Joe Ozimek, says airlines will be involved heavily in the final definition of the stretch in a similar way to the part they played in defining the baseline aircraft. "Again we'll call to gether those airlines which are interested in a stretch and ask them what they want to do. .' stretch of around 18 frames is where they want to go so far." Cathay, which formed part of Boeing's original eight-air'- FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 - 28 April, 1992
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