Avio Aero may have been a GE Aviation subsidiary for six years, but the Italian propulsion systems specialist is at Paris stressing its autonomy as a European technology house and its willingness to work with other engine manufacturers.
The company, which makes around half its revenues from third-party customers, is a supplier to both CFM International – which is 50% owned by GE – and Pratt & Whitney on the Leap and PW1100 engines that power the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320neo families. “We are preparing for the ramp up of these two key programmes”, says chief executive Riccardo Procacci.
Another important engine for Avio Aero is the 777X’s GE9X. The Turin-based business is responsible for the low-pressure turbine, including the module’s blades, which it manufactures using an innovative 3D printing process at its Cameri plant.
Avio Aero is playing a central role in GE’s Catalyst general aviation engine, which is due to fly on the Textron Aviation Cessna Denali later this year, and is taking the lead on marketing the product to military and security customers – unlike most GE engines, the European-designed Catalyst is free from US International Traffic in Arms Regulations export controls.
Other third party customers include Safran, which it is working with on the Airbus Helicopters Racer low-emission, high-speed technology demonstrator under Europe’s Clean Sky 2 project. It has also signed a deal to provide the transmission for Russian Helicopters’ new VRT500 light single.
“We are reaffirming that we are here for the aviation industry and our third-party customers, not just as part of the GE supply chain, and that we have great technology in areas including transmissions and additives that we can use,” says Procacci.
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Source: Flight Daily News
