Selection is key as manufacturers jostle for pole position in 10,000lb-thrust market
Dassault is entering the final engine selection phase for its new super mid-size business aircraft project aimed at service entry in the second quarter of 2013. The French manufacturer's decision, which is expected to narrow the finalists down to two by the end of March, will also dictate which engine maker takes the lead in the emerging 10,000lb-thrust (44.5kN) bracket.
Five manufacturers have flagged their ambitions in this area: General Electric with a new design based on the GE38, Honeywell's HTF10000, a new design from Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce's RB282 and Snecma's recently announced Silvercrest project. Although Dassault remains tight-lipped, French industry sources indicate that GE and Snecma may have already been passed over.
The development, if confirmed, would represent a significant blow to Snecma's early ambitions for the Silvercrest, which is due to enter testing in the fourth quarter this year. Given a launch in mid-2008, the Silvercrest could be certificated by the end of 2010 at the earliest, says Snecma.
Dassault's super mid-size requirement is believed to call for a fully certificated engine to be available by mid-2011 to support the start of flight tests in the third quarter of 2011. Honeywell is optimstic that the HTF10000 will be successful.
Honeywell's president for business and general aviation Robert Wilson says: "We're investing millions of dollars in the double digits this year, and next year we anticipate launching a full-scale demonstrator. We can certificate in 36 months."
Other potential applications for a new "10K" class engine include Cessna's Large Cabin Concept project, as well as other studies by Bombardier and Gulfstream.
Rolls-Royce is meanwhile starting development work on component test rigs for its RB282 family that is being designed to fulfil power demands across a wide range of thrust levels.
Source: Flight International
