Pratt & Whitney: New Aircraft Engine Technology Is Here

   By Ann Keeton 
   Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

CHICAGO (Dow Jones)

Speaking to analysts a few weeks ago, Jim McNerney, chairman and chief executive of Boeing Co. (BA), said he is "heartened" that new jet engine technology "will be ready by the middle of the decade." That might allow Boeing around then to put state-of-the-art engines on a slightly modified aircraft, he said, rather than waiting to make all-new planes with new engines in 2018 to 2020.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies (UTX), has made substantial progress with new engine technology in just the last four years, agreed Bob Saia, vice president, next generation product family. After about 20 years of development, "We have the technology today," he said in an interview, and said he's talking to planemakers about what it can do.

The geared turbofan engine, or PurePower, as Pratt & Whitney calls it, uses fewer parts and more sophisticated materials than current jet engines. It's now completing hundreds of hours of testing, and will move into a detailed design phase next year. Right out of the box, Saia said, the engine will save 15% on fuel and emissions, and cut noise in half. The noise factor is important, since it will allow airlines to fly around the clock to restricted airports like London City and Orange County, Calif.

The engine's turbine operates at higher speeds than current engines, while the fan goes more slowly. That provides more efficient propulsion and less fan noise. As well, the engine is smaller and lighter weight than its predecessors.

For Boeing, modifying an aircraft design adds about 20% to 25% to production costs, much cheaper than bringing out a brand-new plane, McNerney said.

But an engine upgrade would also give the U.S. planemaker an earlier shot at using the potentially game-changing Pratt & Whitney product that's already been ordered by competitors Bombardier and Mitsubishi.

Boeing previously has said it makes sense to keep upgrading the 737, but it won't come out with a whole new 737 design until the end of the decade. At that time, it could switch to new engines, as well as take advantage of airframe technology developed for the 787 Dreamliner. (For the 787, expected to fly for the first time in December, Boeing chose engines made by General Electric and Rolls-Royce. Big fuel savings, of 20%, will come mostly from a lighter airframe.)

Engines on popular planes like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 came out in the 1980s, Saia said. Their efficiency--including fuel usage, noise and emissions--can be improved by about 1% per year, without altering the basic engine design.

A whole new engine design typically goes hand in hand with new aircraft design, Saia said, since manufacturers work together to optimize the performance of both the engine and the aircraft.

So far, Pratt is working to put the PurePower on Bombardier's new C-series, and the Mitsubishi regional jet, for delivery to customers late in 2013.

The C-series will compete in the narrowbody aircraft market--as single-aisle planes are called--against the top-selling Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Together, the two biggest plane makers have orders for about 4,500 of the those aircraft, with deliveries stretching to 2015.

-By Ann Keeton, Dow Jones Newswires; 312-750-4120; ann.keeton@dowjones.com