Tag Archives: CFM International

Airbus and CFM International to pioneer hydrogen combustion technology

Airbus has signed a partnership agreement with CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, to collaborate on a hydrogen demonstration program that will take flight around the middle of this decade.

The program’s objective is to ground and flight test a direct combustion engine fueled by hydrogen, in preparation for entry-into-service of a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. The demonstration will use a A380 flying testbed equipped with liquid hydrogen tanks prepared at Airbus facilities in France and Germany. Airbus will also define the hydrogen propulsion system requirements, oversee flight testing, and provide the A380 platform to test the hydrogen combustion engine in cruise phase.

CFM International (CFM) will modify the combustor, fuel system, and control system of a GE Passport turbofan to run on hydrogen. The engine, which is assembled in the US, was selected for this program because of its physical size, advanced turbo machinery, and fuel flow capability. It will be mounted along the rear fuselage of the flying testbed to allow engine emissions, including contrails, to be monitored separately from those of the engines powering the aircraft. CFM will execute an extensive ground test program ahead of the A380 flight test.

CFM shares Airbus’ ambition of fulfilling the promise they made in signing the Air Transport Action Group goal in October 2021 to achieve aviation industry net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 by developing and testing the technology necessary to make zero emissions aircraft a reality within the ambitious timeline defined.

Airbus has a long-standing relationship with CFM and its parent companies, GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines and, together, the partners have established a great track record of delivering high-performance products that meet the needs of airline customers.

Airbus A320neo with LEAP-1A engines takes to the skies for the first time

Airbus (Toulouse) has issued this statement, video and photo:

The first A320neo equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines completed its maiden flight on May 19 in Toulouse, France. The aircraft, registration F-WNEW, was flown by Experimental Test Pilots Philippe Perrin and Malcolm Ridley. Accompanying them in the cockpit was Test-Flight Engineer Jean-Michel Pin and monitoring the progress of the flight profile were the Flight-Test Engineers Tuan Do and Philippe Pupin. The flight lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes during which tests were performed to validate the aircraft’s flight envelope up to the maximum altitude (39,000 feet) and test the engine speed variation (low/high) in addition to checking systems behavior.

The newest member of the A320 Family, the A320neo, incorporates many innovations including latest generation engines, Sharklet wing tip devices and cabin improvements, which together will deliver up to 20 percent in fuel savings by 2020.The flight test campaign of the A320neo has accumulated more than 400 flight hours in around 130 flights since first flight on September 25, 2014.

Photo below: Airbus.

Boeing 737 MAX LEAP-1B engine begins its flight test program on a Boeing 747-100 at Victorville

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) and CFM International announced yesterday (May 7) that they successfully initiated flight testing of the LEAP-1B* engine on April 29 on a modified ex-Pan Am Boeing 747-100 (see below) flying testbed at GE Aviation Flight Test Operations in Victorville, California.

According to Boeing, “The testing is the next major milestone in a two-year program that will culminate in engine certification in 2016 and delivery of the first Boeing 737 MAX in 2017. The engine performed well and completed multiple aeromechanical test points at various altitudes during the five hour, 30 minute first flight.”

Above photo: CFM International.

The LEAP-1B engine (above) is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 737 MAX family and is part of the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in CFM’s history. The first LEAP-1B engine began ground testing on June 13, 2014, three days ahead of the schedule set when the program was launched in 2011.

Over the next several weeks, the flight test program will encompass a comprehensive test schedule that will gauge engine operability, stall margin, performance, emissions and acoustics. It also will further validate the advanced technologies incorporated in the engine, including the woven carbon fiber composite fan, the Twin-Annular, Pre-Mixing Swirler (TAPS) combustor, ceramic matrix composite shrouds in the high-pressure turbine and titanium aluminide blades in the low-pressure turbine.

To date, the 737 MAX has accumulated 2,724 orders from 57 customers worldwide.

* The LEAP-1B is a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE.

Video: From CFM International: Who do jet engines work?

Bottom photo: Boeing. The test airframe is the pictured GE Aircraft Engines Boeing 747-121 N747GE (msn 19651) seen departing from Victorville with the test engine. The historic Jumbo was originally delivered to Pan Am as N744PA on June 21, 1972.

Delta orders 15 Airbus A321s with current CFM engines

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will grow its Airbus A320 Family with an order for 15 A321ceo (current engine option) aircraft to offset jet retirements. The airline has selected CFM56-5B engines from CFM International to power the newly ordered A321ceo aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery starting in 2018. CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE.

Delta currently operates a large fleet of Airbus aircraft, including 126 A320 Family aircraft and 32 A330s. The order announced today brings Delta’s backlog to 45 single-aisle Airbus A321 and 10 widebody Airbus A330 aircraft.

All of Delta’s A321s will feature fuel-saving Sharklets – lightweight composite wingtip devices that offer 4 percent fuel-burn savings. This environmental benefit gives the airline the option of extending its range up to 100 nautical miles/185 kilometers or increasing payload capacity by some 1000 pounds/450 kilograms.

Many of Delta’s A321s will be delivered from Airbus’ brand-new A320 Family assembly line, currently under construction in Mobile, Alabama. Hiring is underway at the facility, and aircraft assembly will begin there next year. By 2017, the Mobile facility is expected to produce four aircraft per month.

The A321 will be a new type for Delta when delivered.

Image: Airbus.

Delta Air Lines (current):

Air Canada finalizes its order for 61 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) and Air Canada (Montreal) have finalized an order for 61 737 MAX airplanes to lead the airline’s single-aisle fleet renewal plan. The order, valued at $6.5 billion at list prices, consists of 33 737 MAX 8s and 28 737 MAX 9s, as well as 18 options and 30 rights to purchase additional 737 MAXs.

The 737 MAX improves fuel efficiency and reduces carbon emissions by 14 percent, while reducing the operational noise footprint by 40 percent, compared to today’s aircraft.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology LEAP-1B engines from CFM International with other advancements including Advanced Technology winglets, large flight deck displays and the Boeing Sky Interior to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX has accumulated more than 1,900 orders to date from 37 customers worldwide.

Development of the 737 MAX is on schedule with firm configuration of the airplane completed in July 2013. First flight is scheduled in 2016 with deliveries to customers beginning in third quarter of 2017.

Image: Boeing.

Air Canada: