Boeing is considering speeding up studies of the proposed 747-400IGW "simple stretch" providing fresh impetus for the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance which appeared to be on the verge of dissolution following P&W's separate bid to power the Airbus A3XX with the PW4000.
"We're now doing study work on new versions of the 747 that would require the GP7000 as part of on-going study efforts at Boeing," says the Engine Alliance, which was formed between GE and P&W in May 1996 primarily for the now-cancelled 747-500X/600X project.
Focus has switched to the Airbus A3XX, but the joint venture came under further strain when P&W began independent talks with Airbus Industrie (Flight International, 2-8 April).
GE-P&W Engine Alliance president Larry Scott was in Seattle discussing the power requirements of the -400IGW in the last week of April. Although originally expected to require engines in the 280-285kN (63-64,000lb) thrust range, the weights of the -400IGW are believed to have grown following customer input, bringing the power requirement of the engine closer to the 310kN starting point of the GP7000.
Meanwhile, the engine partners originally hoped to complete the technical-evaluation phase with Airbus on the A3XX by the end of February, but the chances of a formal MoU now seem even more remote following the unilateral offer by P&W, and the fact Rolls-Royce has an agreement to offer the Trent 900 on the A3XX.
Engine programme sources warn that should the 747-400IGW study slow again, the Engine Alliance may die.
"They haven't killed it, but it could well come to an end. If P&W thinks they have an engine for the A3XX, and without quick progress on the 747, the promise of the joint venture will be destroyed in the eyes of the US Justice Department," the source says.
Source: Flight International
