STEWART PENNEY / MONTREAL
Pratt & Whitney Canada is proposing a PW800-based turboprop for the Airbus Military Company (AMC) A400M. AMC re-opened the engine competition this year as the consortium developing the original TP400 engine could not guarantee to meet performance requirements.
P&WC president and chief executive Gilles Ouimet says the company is proposing a 9,000kW (12,000shp) class turboprop using a PW800 gas generator.
The PW800 is in initial development and will be a 12,000-20,000lb-(53-88kN) thrust class turbofan for regional jets and large business jets. It will have a geared fan developed through the Advanced Technology Fan Integrator (AFTI) demonstrator and is due in service around 2006.
Ouimet says the engine's development is "synchronised" with the A400M programme, and that the company plans to involve a European team. He says, however, that until an engine selection, expected by the end of next month, P&WC cannot hold talks with potential partners as they are bidding a competing engine. Rolls-Royce and Snecma lead a team offering a three-shaft turboprop (Flight International, 5-11 March).
Source: Flight International
