Airbus has agreed to test Pratt & Whitney’s new jet engine, giving the French airline access to new technology and the Connecticut-based jet engine manufacturer the chance to showcase its new product.
The flight test of the Geared Turbofan is set to begin at the end of the year, the two companies announced.
Todd Kallman, president of Pratt & Whitney commercial engines, said the test will provide installation and operating data to evaluate the performance of the engine. Pratt & Whitney is a subsidiary of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp.
Airbus, which is based in Toulouse, France, downplayed the prospect of a deal to eventually buy Geared Turbofan engines.
“At this point in time, the tests do not imply either a technological or a business decision on future product developments,” Airbus said in a statement.
Japanese machinery manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. already has chosen Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan to power its new mid-sized regional jet.
Pratt & Whitney has been developing the engine technology for 20 years. The manufacturer says the engine provides significant improvements in fuel efficiency that will result in fewer carbon emissions and lower fuel costs for airlines, and generate less noise than other airplane engines.
Airbus said in a statement that the deal with Pratt & Whitney is for “routine and ongoing research into new technologies for the long term.”
“The trials are an example of Airbus’ commitment, as an eco-efficient company, to look at all new technologies and innovations that could potentially bring environmental and economic benefits to the aviation sector for the longer term,” the statement said.
Richard L. Aboulafia, a vice president at Teal Group Corp., an aerospace and defense industry research group in Fairfax, Va., called the deal “quite significant.”
“It’s a major step for the most important narrow body manufacturer to be closely examining this engine,” he said.
The test of the Geared Turbofan will use an Airbus-owned A340 flying test bed. The testing will provide information about takeoffs, landings, engine performance at various altitudes and other flight data.
