Safran is keeping a close eye on the production ramp-up of the CFM International Leap engine series as it works to meet demanding delivery targets over the coming years.
The CFM joint venture, in which the French engine maker is an equal shareholder with GE Aviation, has so far delivered 11 production engines – all Leap-1As to Airbus – from a five-figure backlog across three variants.
"We have 11,100 on order. We have delivered only 11, so we still have a lot on our plate," Phillipe Petitcolin, Safran chief executive, said during a 29 July half-year earnings all.
The production schedule foresees the joint-venture handing over around 100 engines in 2016, followed by 500 next year.
Petitcolin describes the ramp-up as "a challenge every day". The supply chain – both internally and externally – is, he acknowledges, "under some pressure", but he adds: "We were all expecting it."
He says: "Now we are in the ramp-up and we have small issues, but issues every day like in any business of this nature or this scale.
"Today we are on time and production is meeting specification, and we are working in order to achieve the deliveries which are forecast for 2016, which is around 100 engines. And we are, as you imagine, already working on the 500 engines we have to deliver next year."
The Leap programme as "going very well", he adds, with the three variants at differing stages of production readiness.
Boeing is fully engaged in flight tests of the -1B-powered 737 Max, says Petitcolin, and has accumulated more than 800h across 300 cycles using four prototype aircraft.
"The Leap-1B is on track for EIS on time [in 2017] and to performance," he stresses.
First flight of the Leap-1C-engined Comac C919 is due by year-end, "a little bit behind" the Chinese airframer's original schedule, he says, but he points out that the propulsion system is "on time".
But even as the partners ramp up Leap production, they are contending with record output on the current-generation CFM56 programme, which powers the A320ceo and 737NG.
CFM delivered a record 886 CFM56 engines in the six months to 30 June – beating previous first-half highs of 816 in 2015 and 792 in 2014 – a total which included the 30,000th production powerplant.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
