Snecma Set To Light Up Silvercrest

French powerplant manufacturer Snecma said it will begin testing its Silvercrest engine next month. The Safran subsidiary’s entry into the 10,000-pound-thrust turbine category was snubbed earlier this year by Dassault, which instead tapped rival Rolls-Royce to power its new super-midsize jet. Snecma, which specializes in engines for airliners, intends to bring the reliability of its popular CFM series to the business jet market. According to the company, the $100 million core demonstrator test program will last until March next year, after which the company is expected to announce the launch of the full-scale program.