Pratt & Whitney Canada has run the PW615F turbofan for the Cessna Citation Mustang entry-level business jet at its rated take-off thrust of 1,350lb (6kN). The company says it is on track to deliver the first test engine to Cessna early next year and for engine certification by the end of 2005.
The PW615F will be flight tested on a Citation at Cessna as well as on P&WC's Boeing 720 engine testbed. The 2,500lb-thrust PW625F technology demonstrator was flight tested on the 720 in October 2002. This allowed the first run of the PW615F to be achieved in an "unprecedented" 10 months from first design, the company says.
First run of the scaled-down, 900lb-thrust PW610F selected to power the Eclipse 500 light jet is set for the second quarter of next year, leading to engine certification in the first quarter of 2006. The PW600 family is intended to span the 900-3,000lb thrust range, and could spawn turboprop derivatives.
Source: Flight International
