Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW545D engine received Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) approval late last week, a key step toward service entry on Textron Aviation's Cessna Citation Ascend in 2025. The latest member in the 2,900- to 4,500-pound-thrust PW500 turbofan engine family, the PW545D incorporates an advanced mixer and offers improved efficiencies in the compressor and turbines, which the engine-maker said will reduce fuel burn and noise, as well as lower operating temperature.
As with some of its PW500 siblings, the PW545D will be equipped with Fadec, enabling the integration of autothrottle on the Ascend. The two-spool engine is designed with an enhanced three-stage compressor and is driven by a single-stage cooled high-pressure turbine module.
"As the latest derivative in the PW500 engine family, we look forward to the Ascend's entry into service," said Cedric Gauthier, v-p of sales and marketing for general aviation at Pratt & Whitney Canada. "Certification was granted following 630 hours of engine testing, in addition to 230 hours of flight testing on the Ascend prototype test aircraft."
Pratt has produced more than 5,000 PW500 engines, with more than 4,600 PW500s remaining in service powering a range of Cessna jets, including the Citation Bravo, Excel, XLS, XLS+, Ultra Encore, and Encore+. The $16.7 million, 2,100-nm midsize Ascend is the next generation in the Excel line beyond the current-production XLS+.