Significant win confirms Canadian engine manufacturer's position in vanguard of very light jet market
Embraer is poised to announce its selection of Pratt & Whitney Canada to power its proposed very light jet (VLJ), and possibly a follow-on super mid-size business jet. Embraer, which is expected to reveal details of the new business jet duo plan this week, declines to comment on the selection, which was made over competing bids from General Electric/Honda with a variant of the HTF118, and from Williams International with the FJ33/FJ44.
The Embraer business jet victory is a significant win for P&WC, which is quickly cornering the VLJ market. It will supply Embraer a variant of the PW600 turbofan that is entering initial production for both the Cessna Citation Mustang and Eclipse Aviation Eclipse 500 VLJs. P&WC says it "cannot comment on Embraer's selection". The Embraer VLJ engine is expected to be based on the same dual-spool core architecture of the PW625F, from which the PW610F Eclipse and PW615F Mustang engines are derived. The PW610F is flat-rated at 900lb (4kN) take-off thrust for the Eclipse. The engine incorporates a single-stage high-pressure turbine driving a mixed-flow and centrifugal high-pressure compressor and a single-stage low pressure turbine driving a 355mm (14in) one-piece titanium integrated-bladed rotor fan.
The higher-thrust PW615F, flat rated at 1,350lb, is now flying on the Citation Mustang which made its maiden flight at Wichita, Kansas on 23 April. To support the growing demand, P&WC plans to build PW600 family engines at the unprecedented rate of one every 8h.
GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES
Source: Flight International
