A second engine option is now officially available from Airbus Industrie on its planned A3XX high capacity airliner, with the firming up of plans to offer the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance joint venture GP7000 on the aircraft.
Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Engine Alliance to offer the GP7000 family during the fourth A3XX programme progress review meeting in Cannes, France, during May. The consortium already has an MoU, signed in October 1996, with Rolls-Royce to use the Trent 900 on the 480-650 seater, scheduled to enter service in the third quarter of 2004.
Conceived to power Boeing's now defunct 747-500/600X stretch models, a version tailored for the A3XX family, dubbed the GP7200, will be offered at thrusts of 300-360kN(67,000-80,000lb). The A3XX is the first application for the Alliance product.
Airbus Industrie and the European Russian Aviation Consortium, formed in February, signed an agreement at the ILA '98 show in Berlin in May to examine and define the role of Russian companies, including Tupolev and Aviastar, and research establishments Gipromash, TsAGI and NIAT, in development of the A3XX. Airbus will then help with European approval of the Tupolev Tu-204 twinjet.
Source: Flight International
