MTU Aero delivers PurePower PW1100G-JM Geared Turbofan engine to Airbus

MTU Aero has delivered the first Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM Geared Turbofan engine assembled on its own final assembly line to Airbus.
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The new assembly line for the A320neo engine was officially inaugurated by Ilse Aigner, Bavarian State Minister of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology, Klaus Roewe, head of the A320 Family Programme, Airbus Group, the MTU executive board members Reiner Winkler, CEO and Dr. Rainer Martens, chief operating officer.

“The PW1100G-JM engine is our most important engine down the road,” said Winkler. “We are going to profit from the high order backlog for the A320neo and from the strong demand for the PW1100G-JM engine. Predictions are that in the future, the ‘neo’ engine aftermarket business will also see above-average growth. For us, this translates into a high sales volume over the entire engine life cycle.” 

The development of a new propulsion system to power the A320 family came in late 2010 when Airbus decided to go forward with the A320neo (new engine option). Among the innovations that make this aircraft stand out are its engines, which usher in a new era of eco-efficient flying: The PW1100G-JM engine, which is a member of Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) family, is quieter, more fuel efficient and cleaner than any other engine in its class.

Investment of €15 million

“We have succeeded in passing a crucial milestone by shipping the first engine for the A320neo. Up to date, we have invested about €15 million into the new assembly line,” said Dr. Martens. “With our stake in the GTF programmes, our production volume will double within five years’ time. While last year, we handled about 2,000 engines and modules across our entire product range, this figure will go up to around 4,000 by the year 2020 already.” MTU contributes the high-speed low-pressure turbine, the forward four stages of the high-pressure compressor and brush seals to the GTF engines.” 

Earlier this August, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S. awarded the Production Certificate, allowing MTU to perform assembly and acceptance testing in Munich.

“Thanks to extensive and close cooperation with Pratt & Whitney, MTU is now one of three facilities worldwide able to perform final assembly of the PW1100G-JM engine powering the A320neo,” said Michael Schreyögg, MTU chief programme officer. “We’ve geared up for maintenance just as intensely as we’ve prepared for production, building the capacities and expertise we need to perform MRO on the ‘neo’ engine. Our facility in Hannover has already obtained approval for maintaining the engines.”