Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. selected Pratt & Whitney's next generation Geared Turbofan(TM) engine to power the new 70- to 90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet. The sole-source agreement is the first airframe application for the Geared Turbofan engine, which targets a significant reduction in fuel burn and noise with lower environmental emissions and operating costs than today's engines. MHI expects demand for about 5,000 aircraft of the MRJ's class in the global regional jet market over the next 20 years. With full scale engine testing scheduled to begin later this year and flight testing in 2008, the Geared Turbofan technology program supports Mitsubishi Regional Jet's development timeline.
"The Geared Turbofan is the only engine on the market that can deliver the step-change improvements in fuel burn, environmental performance and operating costs that airlines are demanding for their next generation aircraft," said Steve Finger, president, Pratt & Whitney. In a Geared Turbofan engine, a state-of-the-art gear system allows the engine's fan to operate independent of the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for less noise.