Airbus has taken delivery of the first Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine assembled on the line of German manufacturer MTU Aero Engines.
The €15 million line in Munich has been developed as part of the ramp-up effort for the re-engined type.
It comprises six stations at which the powerplant is gradually pieced together from various components and modules. MTU provides the PW1100G low-pressure turbine and the first four stages of the high-pressure compressor, as well as other components.
“Several engines in various build stages can be assembled and completed concurrently,” says the manufacturer, which is a risk-sharing partner in the programme.
Its workshare covers assembly and testing of nearly a third of PW1100Gs.
By the end of 2018, it says, ramp-up of assembly should be complete, by which point the line will employ some 400 personnel.
“We have succeeded in passing a crucial milestone by shipping the first engine for the A320neo,” said MTU chief operating officer Rainer Martens, as the line was formally inaugurated.
The company expects to double production across its engine range to around 4,000 by 2020.
It is one of three facilities capable of PW1100G final assembly. MTU chief executive Reiner Winkler says the PW1100G will become the company’s “most important” engine, and he expects “above-average” aftermarket business from the powerplant.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
