CFM International’s Leap-1B engine made its first flight on a Boeing 747 testbed on April 29, the engine manufacturer confirmed today. The GE-Snecma partnership reported that the engine performed well in its five-and-a-half-hour flight, completing multiple aeromechanical test points at various altitudes.
The Leap-1B is due to complete certification in 2016 and enter service on Boeing’s new 737 Max family of narrowbodies in 2017 (making its first test flights on the aircraft itself next year). With the Leap-1B and its sister -1A and -1C turbofans (for the Airbus A320neo and Comac C919, respectively) now at the flight-test stage, CFM is busy with preparations for the production phase of each program. Over the next few weeks, the -1B flight tests from GE Aviation’s facility in Victorville, California, will gauge engine operability, stall margin, performance, emissions and acoustics. They will also validate new technologies such as the woven carbon composite fan, ceramic matrix composite shrouds in the high-pressure turbine and titanium aluminum blades in the lower-pressure turbine. Earlier this week, CFM International president and CEO Jean-Paul Ebanga told AIN that the Leap 1-A engine is set to make its first flight on the Airbus A320neo later this year.
“I continue to be really impressed with the Leap,” said CFM’s chief test pilot Steven Crane. “These engines are demonstrating a maturity that you don’t always see in new products. I think our airline customers are going to be really pleased with this engine.”
The Leap-1B is expected to deliver a 14-percent improvement in fuel efficiency compared with current Next Generation 737s and a 20-percent improvement on the earlier 737NGs. There are currently 26 Leap engines (of all types) involved in various stages of testing and 10 more engines in final assembly.
“This year is all about our ability to deliver on our promises [for the Leap] both in terms of development and production,” said Ebanga. “This will be a real disruptive technology for the industry.” CFM has almost 9,000 Leap engines on order to date.
