Despite UTC's reluctance to back new engine proposal, manufacturer resolves to stay in commercial market
Pratt & Whitney insists that its failure to win a place on the Boeing 7E7 does not signal the start of a gradual withdrawal from the civil engine market, and argues that the financial costs of participating in the new twinjet programme were unacceptable.
General Electric and Rolls-Royce beat P&W in the hard-fought competition for what is the only major new commercial programme on the horizon, despite P&W's PW-EXX bid being the only all-new engine design offered.
Boeing 7E7 senior vice-president Mike Bair says the final selection was "a very close decision, but we are happy this represents the best value for everyone who is going to be involved in this aircraft".
P&W's main stumbling block appears to have been the reluctance of its owner United Technologies (UTC), as well as that of its partners such as MTU, to back sufficiently the business proposal aspect of the package. Although Boeing and P&W decline to comment specifically, the engine maker says "UTC is very conservative".
Pointing to the success of collaboration in the International Aero Engines V2500 and GE-P&W GP7000 programmes, P&W says: "We're going to go after commercial programmes that we think make long-term business sense, but we won't damage the company financially to win. We may be third in the commercial business for a while. So be it."
Bair says: "Technically all three had very robust offerings that met or exceeded our technical requirements," adding that the final decision was based on "a combination of all aspects", including technical, marketing and financial factors.
Dubbed the GE GENX and the R-R Trent 1000, the engines will be certificated at 70,000lb thrust (312kN) for the heavier 7E7 models, with a derate to 53,000lb for the short-range version. Boeing now designates this as the 7E7-3, while the 15,730km (8,500nm) range "base" variant is the 7E7-8 and the stretch now becomes the 7E7-9.
Both engines are set to run for the first time in 2006, although the order in which they will power the 7E7 depends on the launch customer. Bair says talks are under way with around 50 operators, half of which could be considered "serious" launch candidates. "There are no prescribed requirements for launch," adds Bair, who says "even one" firm customer might be sufficient to give it the firm go-ahead by the end of the year.
GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES
Source: Flight International
