Pratt & Whitney Canada has revealed more details of its ambitious plans to mass-produce the PW600 turbofan and says it may eventually build up to 2,000 engines a year, if required to meet the demands of the burgeoning very light jet (VLJ) market.

P&WC president Alain Bellemare said at the Paris air show that the company plans to “ramp up in the first year to around 500 engines in 2006, and we’re getting ready for more than 1,000 engines a year. We have a second phase planned to produce up to 2,000 engines per year.”

P&WC also says it eventually will build the PW600 in more than one location, although Bellemare says “we could do most of it in Longueil, Montreal, after we reach around 1,000 to 1,500 [a year]”. The likely second location is expected to be in the Toronto area, although locations outside Canada and even North America will be considered.

The engine is designed with a low parts count for the fastest production rate ever attempted for a turbofan. Parts and subassemblies will also be provided by 30 suppliers, compared with more than 90 on previous programmes. Tests of the moving line have so far shown engines can be assembled in as little as 5h, although the target for a fully completed, tested and packed engine is 8h.

Other plans for the engine, which has been selected by Cessna, Eclipse Aviation and Embraer for their VLJ projects, include the ability to perform hot-section inspections on wing and complete overhauls in less than 10 days. Bellemare says initial production PW610 engines will be delivered for the Eclipse 500 early in 2006, while PW615s for Cessna’s Citation Mustang will roll later that year.

The first production PW617s for the Embraer VLJ are due to be delivered in 2008.

GUY NORRIS/PARIS

Source: Flight International

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