Pratt & Whitney is understood to be suspending development of the growth PW4173 engine and is no longer offering the powerplant to airlines as an option to power the Airbus A330-300 after encountering technical delays and poor market demand.
The engine is a 73,000lb-thrust (325kN) growth development of the existing PW4068, which was being targeted at A330-300 operators wanting increased power or higher take-off weight. It combined the 2.54m (100in) diameter fan of the existing PW4064/68 family with the improved high thrust core of the larger PW4198 engine developed for the growth Boeing 777.
P&W is believed to have encountered an interface problem with the engine's nacelle and bleed air system. The cost of rectifying this for certification, combined with the disappointing sales of the engine has caused the manufacturer to stop work.
Three PW4173 shipsets had been sold to power two CIT A330-300s and a third FlightLease aircraft. In 1998, US Airways selected the engine for some of its A330s, but appears not to have firmed up the deal. Airline sources say the CIT aircraft will now be delivered with PW4068D powerplants, incorporating some of the new engine's design improvements.
Source: Flight International
