MTU completes first low-pressure turbine for PW1524G engine

MTU Aero Engines accomplished another major milestone contributing to the geared turbofan technology of Pratt & Whitney's PurePower® PW1524G engine for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft. The first high-speed low-pressure turbine has been completed in Munich. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

In a last bolt ceremony held today, MTU Chief Executive Officer Egon Behle, MTU Chief Operating Officer Dr. Rainer Martens and Pratt & Whitney Vice President, Next Generation Product Family Bob Saia, jointly tightened the last bolt. "By completing this work on schedule, we have taken the next crucial step towards the introduction of our globally unique technology into actual production," commented CEO Behle, pleased with a job well done.

The turbine will now be dispatched to Pratt & Whitney, where it will be installed in the first PurePower PW1524G engine and put through its paces on the test stand at the Pratt & Whitney facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Certification of the new propulsion system is scheduled in 2012 with Bombardier's CSeries aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013. German flag carrier Lufthansa is the launch customer for the aircraft and its propulsion system.

"MTU is an important partner in the PurePower engine program," said Bob Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family, Pratt & Whitney. "The completion of this first high-speed low-pressure turbine ensures the test program for the PW1524G engine continues on schedule."

The PW1524G is the CSeries version of the PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine family, which has been selected as exclusive power for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet scheduled to enter service in 2014 and the Bombardier CSeries aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013. After announcing the launch of these two new aircraft programs, Mitsubishi and Bombardier each have announced the receipt of a number of orders for these new models of aircraft. The PW1000G was also recently selected to power the proposed new Irkut MC-21 narrow-body jet scheduled to enter service in 2016. The PurePower PW800 engine is targeted to power the next generation of large business jets.

MTU Aero Engines is the world's only manufacturer of high-speed low-pressure turbines. The Munich-based company started to develop this technology way back in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the full functionality of the turbine has been demonstrated in technology programs and test cycles, which showed the component to be optimally suited for use on production engines. In addition to the low-pressure turbine, MTU contributes the forward four stages of the equally highly-efficient high-pressure compressor, while the rear four stages are being manufactured by Pratt & Whitney.