Work on a Safran Aircraft Engines-led project that will culminate in flight tests of an open-fan engine aboard an Airbus A380 in 2029 has officially kicked off.
Called TAKE OFF, the four-year project is backed by the EU’s Clean Aviation programme, which will provide €100 million ($115 million) of its €139 million total cost.
Building on the preceding OFELIA project in Clean Aviation’s first phase, TAKE OFF will use the technologies matured through that effort to develop an open-fan engine capable of undertaking a flight-test campaign.
By the end of the project in December 2029, the overall open-fan engine design should have been raised to technology readiness level (TRL) 6, Clean Aviation project documents state.
“TAKE OFF is structured to cover the entire demonstration chain—from final engine design, assembly, and instrumentation, through aircraft platform integration and flight clearance, to post-flight data analysis and model calibration,” the project description adds.
Additionally, the project will work with airworthiness authorities to ensure there is regulatory alignment and a pathway to certification.
CFM International, a joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace, has been pursuing an open-fan engine through the RISE technology demonstrator programme it launched in 2021.
It sees the architecture as the best way of achieving the 20% fuel-burn reduction needed for a next-generation narrowbody engine that could equip a new single-aisle aircraft to enter service around the middle of next decade.
Safran group companies account for €35.4 million of the total Clean Aviation funding for the project, and although as a US business GE Aerospace cannot receive EU funding directly, its European subsidiaries in Germany, Italy and Poland have been allocated a combined €14.5 million.
Other participants include various Airbus units across Europe, receiving a combined €34.2 million, GKN Aerospace’s Swedish operation (€4 million), the national aerospace research centres of France, Germany and the Netherlands, plus several academic entities.
“TAKE OFF embodies the European Union and aerospace industry’s shared ambition to make aviation more sustainable,” says Pierre Cottenceau, vice-president, engineering, research & technology at Safran Aircraft Engines.
“Project synergies will pave the way for a full-scale open-fan engine flight demonstration, showcasing the competitive benefits of such an architecture in terms of energy efficiency and acoustic performances.”
Flight testing will be carried out through the Airbus-led COMPANION project, another initiative funded through Clean Aviation’s first phase.
Airbus is preparing a former Malaysia Airlines A380 (MSN114)for conversion into a common flight-test demonstrator; modification work will get under way in 2027.
