International Aero Engines (IAE), a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, MTU, FiatAvio and Japanese Aero Engines, is working with Calcor Aero Systems of the USA to develop a variable-area exhaust nozzle for IAE's V2500 turbofan.
The nozzle will vary the exhaust-exit area by around 15%, and could yield a 4% increase in take-off thrust, says IAE. The nozzle would be controlled by the engine's full-authority digital engine control. The nozzle is scheduled to enter testing at the end of 1996, when a prototype will be fitted to a V2500-A5.
IAE has also been working with Ilyushin, with a view to offering the V2500 as a candidate for re-engineing Il-86s, in competition with CFM International's CFM56. The 135kN V2500-I5, a variant of the -A5, would be offered for the Il-86, and may also be considered for a stretched Il-76 freighter.
IAE secured a launch customer for the V2500-A5 on the Airbus A319 (International Lease Finance), and German charter carrier Aero Lloyd became the first customer for the 145kN V2533-A5 when it ordered a fleet of extended-range A321-200s. The V2500-powered McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 entered service with Delta Airlines earlier this year.
Meanwhile, IAE has had to exclude some early production V2500-A1 engines from Airbus A320 extended-range twin operations (ETOPS) while it completes a programme to retrofit redesigned compressor blades. The redesign was carried out to strengthen high-pressure compressor blades which had failed after clearance problems between the blade tips and the compressor casing were caused by shaft flexing.
Source: Flight International
