US regulators have certified the Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage engine, the latest variant of the PW1100G geared-turbofan powerplant for the Airbus A320neo family.
The powerplant is designed to deliver 4-8% greater take-off thrust which will allow the aircraft to achieve longer range with higher payloads.
Pratt & Whitney says the engine, which has secured approval from the US FAA, includes “fully redesigned” life-limited parts and that it is “fundamentally more durable”.
The manufacturer points out that the design increases airflow to the core in order to reduce operating temperatures.
Its high-pressure turbine features improved coatings and, along with the combustor, has “optimised” cooling-hole sizes and locations, and are manufactured to reduce oxidation.
“Fully intermixable and interchangeable with today’s GTF engine model, GTF Advantage will become the production standard,” the company adds.
Pratt & Whitney commercial engines president Rick Deurloo says the first production engines are “on track” for delivery “later this year”.
The GTF Advantage is “especially” suited for the A321XLR, he adds.
Pratt & Whitney says the Advantage has undergone more than double the testing of the current engine version, and it states that “certain elements” of the Advantage can be engineered into predecessors to increase time-on-wing.
