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Engine Alliance Already Anticipating Retrofit GP7200
So fast is the pace of engine development today that the Engine Alliance is already anticipating the retrofit of new technology in the GP7200 in around five years’ time — and the engine isn’t even in service yet.
“I would absolutely expect the GP7200 (it will power the Airbus A380) to have a performance improvement around then” using technology from the GEnx engine being developed for entry into service on the Boeing 787 in 2008, says Engine Alliance president Bruce Hughes.
“There is a whole new attitude in the industry” he says, as engine manufacturers compete to satisfy the airframers’ demands for powerplants tailored for each mission-specific model of airliner. The plethora of point-optimized models is driving whole series of engines, each with a slight enhancement over the one before.
“It used to take 48 months to develop a new engine; now it takes 24,” says Hughes.
“It’s almost to the point where you’ve got to put a new chrome bumper or something on it every model year.”— John Morris
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