(Full details for all engines can be found in the online Commercial Engine Directory.)
Pratt & Whitney commercial engines president Steve Heath may not be a gambling man, but if he bet on “are Pratt & Whitney’s days as a commercial engine manufacturer numbered?” as the question he is most likely to be asked, he would win every time. “Since the [Boeing] 787 decision, it is the most frequently asked question I get. I can understand why there’s a need for some clarification.”
Boeing’s monumental 787 engine decision in April 2004, rejecting P&W’s all-new engine offering in favour of derivative designs proposed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce, totally changed the big turbofan landscape. GE’s GEnx, based around its successful GE90, led to further derivative engines for both the Airbus A350 and Boeing’s newly launched 747-8. Selection of the R-R Trent 1000 by 787 launch customer All Nippon Airways marked the first time the UK manufacturer had won pole position on a new Boeing widebody, a coup it followed by securing a place on the A350 with the Trent 1700. Both manufacturers have amassed big A350/787 order backlogs over the past 18 months, and will share a market estimated at more than 3,300 aircraft.
While P&W had maintained the 787 contest was a “must win”, its parent United Technologies had insisted “not at any cost”. As part of its competitive assessment for the 787, P&W estimated the cost of getting aboard was simply not justifiable. After engine development costs, programme support financing and heavy discounting in the early years of cut-throat competition for market share, it could have been well into the 2020s before significant revenues began to flow back to the company. P&W has never denied that the loss was a major blow, but instead of retreating to lick its wounds, the company has embarked on a massive strategic restructuring programme that is beginning to build serious momentum.
Heath likens the changing face of the company to the newly diversified Boeing of the late 1990s as it fought through a depressed commercial environment. “P&W’s portfolio is changing in terms of not only its military/commercial mix, but even in space,” says Heath. “We’re an $8.3 billion company and by next year when we consolidate Rocketdyne we will be up to $9 billion. We’re a growing company, and that means reliance on the commercial business is less.” Not only are revenues from military and rocket engines growing, but so is the income from the services side, which has risen from 50% to 60% of total sales.
Seismic shift
The first outward sign of this seismic shift in strategy came in December 2004 when the civil engines side of the company was restructured around two businesses: commercial engines, under Heath, and aftermarket services, under Jim Keenan, senior vice-president and general manager, commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). “The move was a signal to the industry that we’re taking the services side really seriously,” says Heath. “Five years ago we made a decision that it was a big business worth billions of dollars. We experimented and pioneered, and now we have a pretty good strategy.” In a few years the company has opened or become involved in 26 repair businesses or joint ventures, with parts and services generating around $6 billion of the company’s 2004 record revenues. “We aim to double this business over the next five years,” he adds.
The work is handled by P&W’s global commercial services network, which is made up of six engine overhaul centres, 16 parts repair sites and two materials and logistics hubs in the USA, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Growth has continued with the signing of maintenance and support contracts with several carriers. A three-year, $60 million EasyJet deal is strategically important because it covers support of CFM International CFM56 engines at P&W’s recently acquired Norway Engine Centre. By the end of this year, P&W expects to offer complete repairs for the CFM-3, -5BP and -7 models, and even provide some repairs not offered by CFMI.
By far the largest MRO contract, however, is with United Airlines, which agreed a Materials Management Programme (MMP) deal covering the airline’s fleet of PW4000 engines. The 10-year exclusive agreement is the largest MMP agreement in P&W’s history and includes a 10-year renewal option. It comes on the heels of a $2 billion long-term fleet management agreement signed with United in 2004 covering more than 300 International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500s.
To support United’s PW4000 MMP, P&W is establishing a material and logistics hub at San Francisco International airport, which is due to be up and running by the end of December and will be responsible for supporting 217 “94in” (fan diameter) engines on United’s 747s and 767s, and 117 “112in” engines for the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet.
In addition to the MMP agreement, P&W will manage the on-wing performance of the PW4000 fleet using its Advanced Diagnostics and Engine Maintenance (ADEM) system. ADEM is a web-based, automated tool designed to provide detailed maintenance information to “achieve the lowest possible total costs with optimal engine reliability and time on-wing”, says P&W.
“We will continue to be very much an original equipment manufacturer [OEM]”, says Heath, “but with an installed base of more than 11,000 engines, my first strategy is to keep the fleet flying.” Key targets for the current product line include development of thermal barrier coatings for high-pressure turbine blades and vanes for several engine models. The coatings boost time-on-wing and improve reliability.
JT8D-200
A significant part of that installed base is made up by the JT8D-200 family. The active -200-series fleet numbers around 2,600 engines. P&W is working with AFS on a hushkit for the JT8D-200-powered Boeing MD-80, which “will be certificated as a Chapter 4 aircraft by the first quarter of 2006”, says Heath. The company has also spent around $1 million on initial studies of a variant of the engine for the proposed Aerion supersonic business jet and completed a “system level zero” review on 4 November. “We passed the review, which means we will continue to work with Aerion on the refinement of the design,” says P&W advanced commercial engines and technology programme manager Peter Robertson. P&W believes the market could be for 600 engines.
P&W is anxious to sustain the JT8D, which it believes will “be in service well out to the 2020s”, and thinks the production line could be reopened “at the end of this year or early next”, pending the go-ahead next month of a US Air Force Northrop Grumman E-8 JSTARS re-engining programme. Similar upgrade efforts continue to be pursued for up to 50 military and government-operated Boeing 707 derivatives, including the NATO E-3 AWACS fleet.
PW2000
There are more than 1,000 PW2000s in commercial service, and production of F117 military versions for the Boeing C-17 continues. Upgrades are based on improving reliability and reducing specific fuel consumption, and on extended twin-engine operations capability for airlines wanting to fly the Boeing 757 from the USA to Hawaii and Europe.
PW4000
Continuing PW4000 production centres on filling Korean Air’s order for 31 engines to power nine 777-200ERs and two 747-400ERFs, with deliveries extending through 2009. Northwest has also selected PW4168As to power additional Airbus A330s. “We have a good backlog through 2006,” says Heath.
A new ring case high-pressure compressor configuration based on the PW4084 series has been developed to improve surge margin, reduce fuel burn and provide a 5°C reduction in exhaust gas temperature. The low emissions TALON II (Technology for Advanced Low NOx) combustor is also being certificated for the PW4158/PW4168 engines.
PW6000
A bright spot for the company in 2005 has been hard-won progress on certificating the redesigned PW6000, and winning a launch customer – in part thanks to its association with IAE. “It was a challenge, but as far as the product is concerned I’ve never seen anything looking this good at this point,” says Heath. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation was received in June, following US Federal Aviation Administration certification in November last year. “Flight tests are wrapping up at Airbus now and the A318 will be certificated by EASA/FAA by the end of the year,” he says.
Chile’s LAN Airlines became the first to order the PW6000 as part of a larger deal that included V2500s for Airbus A320s, strengthening the joint marketing strategy for the two engine families. The LAN contract covered engine for 15 A318s (30 installed and four spares). A long-term maintenance agreement was also included in addition to options on up to 56 additional engines.
Despite the engine’s painfully slow start, Heath remains confident the PW6000 has a long future. It is competing at Royal Jordanian, TAM and Turkish Airlines. “I remind people that the V2500 started off the same way – engine programmes are a 30-year effort,” he says.
P&W is involved in two collaborative engines, the V2500 as part of the IAE joint venture with R-R, Japanese Aero Engines and MTU; and the GP7200 as part of the Engine Alliance with General Electric.
With almost 1,100 V2500-powered aircraft delivered and the fleet on its way towards 34 million flying hours, IAE recently won its largest single firm order when the V2500 was selected by Indian low-cost start-up IndiGo to power 100 A320 family aircraft. “The V2500 is doing very well,” says Heath. Under development to power the A380, meanwhile, the GP7200 is on the verge of obtaining certification. “We have better than a 50% market share on the A380,” he adds.
P&W has signalled it intends to remain a major player in civil propulsion by pushing the geared fan concept to power the next generation of Airbus and Boeing single-aisle airliners. It plans to conduct ground demonstrations of a geared turbofan (GTF) engine based on the PW6000 core in 2007, with flight tests planned for 2008 in association with NASA and possibly Boeing.
P&W believes the demonstrations will convince not only the airframe manufacturers, but also its IAE partners – particularly R-R – that the GTF is ready to tackle the ambitious performance, emissions, reliability and cost goals being set for the next generation. Although the company has previously said it will be prepared to “go it alone” if required, P&W’s preferred “route to market” remains IAE.
The work is, however, strongly linked to cash-strapped NASA, which has a shrinking aeronautics research budget. “We’re waiting to see what happens with the funding in 2006,” says P&W advanced programmes office director Simeon Austin.
P&W and NASA are finalising details of the Quiet Aircraft Technology/Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) programme under NASA’s Vehicle Systems effort. “We’re evaluating what we might do for a flight test following a ground-test demo,” says Austin. “There are several options we are considering relative to one of the airframe makers. We see flight tests after the ground demo as an important step in terms of risk reduction.”
Real opportunity
P&W had run scaled and full-size geared fan demonstrators, including the Advanced Technology Fan Integrator (ATFI) with Pratt & Whitney Canada and the earlier Advanced Ducted Propulsor (ADP). But until now no realistic opportunity has emerged for a geared fan of this size, and it is only the recent emergence of the Airbus and Boeing next-generation studies, and the steep rise in fuel costs, that have provided the impetus for renewed work.
P&W has concluded its GTF concept will “exceed all UEET requirements”. The key technology driver remains the gear system, and in particular lubrication. “We have identified 11 key tests relative to the fan drive gear system between now and 2007,” says Austin. “It is our intent to work with Avio on this system.” In noise, emissions and overall performance terms “we think it’s a game changer”, he adds.
P&W is also involved with MTU in the Joint Technology Demonstrator Programme (JTDP), also based on the PW6000 core. Technology from JTDP, such as an advanced TALON combustor, and new turbine and controls technology, will feed into the GTF ground test and the proposed P&WC-led engine for Bombardier’s planned CSeries 110-seat airliner.
The work underlines Heath’s contention that “P&W is alive and well as an OEM, and we are staying focused on keeping the current fleet flying”.
Full details for all engines can be found in the online Commercial Engine Directory.
Source: Flight International
