General Electric foresees a 2015-plus timeframe for potential entry into service of a commercial aircraft turboprop based on its GE38 turboshaft powerplant for heavy-lift helicopters.
General manager for small commercial engines Chuck Nugent, speaking at the European Regions Airline Association conference in Barcelona, said that the company foresaw a "steady and growing market" for turboprops: "We anticipate around 1,800 turboprop deliveries over the next 20 years. It is a segment of the industry that we are actively looking at.
"We are currently not in active production, but we are studying this closely and as a strategy it might work quite well."
Nugent says the company has made "significant investment" in the GE38, and is studying a derivative designated the CPX38, adding: "We are in discussions with the airframers."
Source: Flight International
