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PW980B Number 5 on A380
Don’t forget the fifth engine on the A380: the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW980A auxiliary power unit. The PW980A, an 1,800-hp unit as big as the turboprop engine from an Embraer Brasilia, is the largest APU ever developed and provides pneumatic and electrical power to the aircraft, meeting the demands of the large cabin and semi-electric flight control system.
The PW980A is Pratt & Whitney’s second large APU and is a growth version of the PW901, used on the 747-400. Since testing started in June 2003, the PW980A has run for 2,500 hours and 3,300 cycles, and it is due to be certificated in July. The APU has been tested in Airbus’ “cabin zero” rig in Hamburg, where the environmental control system and other elements of the cabin are being tested; three APUs and one spare have been delivered.
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