Pratt & Whitney has started FAR Part 33 certification testing for the next iteration of its Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine, the Advantage, the company announced on Monday. Combined with development testing already completed, the GTF Advantage has now accrued more than 2,000 hours, including a successful trial involving 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel completed earlier this year.
Plans call for testing on-wing on the company’s flying test bed in Mirabel, Canada, later this year, along with the start of validation trials on the Airbus A320neo in Toulouse, France.
Unveiled in December for the Airbus A320neo, the 34,000-pound-thrust GTF Advantage will reduce the aircraft’s current fuel consumption by another 1 percent and produce a 17 percent improvement when compared with prior-generation engines. To enter service in 2024, the engine will enable increases in payload and range, Pratt & Whitney added.
“GTF Advantage provides more thrust while running cooler, with more airflow and improvements in aerodynamics, coatings, and clearance control,” said Jim Pennito, v-p of A320neo family engines at Pratt & Whitney. “We’re able to do all this thanks to our revolutionary geared fan, which gives us an architecture with a long runway for the future.”
The GTF family has combined to deliver 15 million service hours aboard more than 1,300 Airbus A320neo, Airbus A220, and Embraer E-Jets operated by 62 carriers.