Design and Development
Originally intended to power Boeing Commercial Airplanes's cancelled 747-500X/-600X, the engine has since been pushed for Airbus' A380-800 superjumbo. It is built around the GE90-110B/115B core and contains a Pratt & Whitney fan and low-pressure system design.
The competing Rolls-Royce Trent 900 was named as the lead engine for the then-named A3XX in 1996 and was initially selected by almost all A380 customers. However the GE/PW engine increased its share of the A380 engine market to the point where as of September 2007 it will power 47% of the super-jumbo fleet. This disparity in sales was resolved in a single transaction, with Emirates' order of 55 GP7000-powered A380-800s, comprising over one quarter of A380 sales (as of September 2007). Emirates has traditionally been a Rolls-Royce customer. A380 aircraft powered by the GP7000s will have A380-86X model numbers as 6 is the code for Engine Alliance engines.
Ground testing of the engine began in April 2004 and was first flight tested as the number two engine on GE's 747 flying testbed over Victorville, CA in December 2004. The American Federal Aviation Administration certified the engine for commercial operation on January 4, 2006. The engine was ground run for the first time on an A380 on August 14, 2006 in Toulouse. On August 25, 2006, the same aircraft, A380-861 test aircraft (MSN 009), made the first flight of an Engine Alliance powered A380. The flight began and ended at Toulouse and lasted about four hours. Tests were performed on the engines' flight envelope, cruise speed, and handling. A day earlier, the same aircraft performed rejected takeoff tests on the engines.
The Engine Alliance offers the GP7200 for the Airbus A380 passenger and freighter configurations. The GP7270 is rated at 70,000 lbf (310,000 N) of thrust whilst the GP7277 is rated at 77,000 lbf (340,000 N). The engine is offered with two ratings appropriate for the various A380 configurations and take-off weights: GP7270 for the 560 tonne variant, and GP7277 for the 590 tonne A380-800 freighter. In mid 2011 an upgrade was announced which will lead to a cut in weight for each engine by 23 kg (51 lb). The new components come from Volvo Aero.
MTU Aero Engines is a major partner of the programme, with 22.5% share. The German company produces the high-pressure turbine, the low-pressure turbine and the turbine center frame.
Read more about this topic: Engine Alliance GP7000
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