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46-472: GE Aerospace both manufactures engines under its name and partners with other manufacturers to produce engines. CFM International , the world's leading supplier of aircraft engines and GE's most successful partnership, is a 50/50 joint venture with the French company Safran Aircraft Engines . As of 2020, CFM International holds 39% of the world's commercial aircraft engine market share (while GE Aerospace itself holds

92-463: A further 14%). GE Aerospace's main competitors in the engine market are Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce . The division operated under the name of General Electric Aircraft Engines ( GEAE ) until September 2005, and as GE Aviation until July 2022. In July 2022, GE Aviation changed its name to GE Aerospace in a move executives say reflects the engine maker's intention to broaden its focus beyond aircraft engines. In April 2024, GE Aerospace became

138-570: A mix of Snecma's red rectangle and GE's blue circle, and the engine name, which combines GE's civil engine nomenclature (CF for Commercial Fan) and Snecma's project name (M56), clearly illustrate the two companies' desire to work together. On June 20, 1974, the demonstration engine for the CFM56 program ran for the first time at Evendale on a test bench belonging to General Electric. In the days that followed, and in less than ten hours of operation, it reached its full take-off thrust of 10 tonnes. In November of

184-651: A new cutting-edge technology programme: LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion). The first LEAP began ground testing at GE's Peebles (Ohio) facility in September 2013, then at Snecma’s plant in Villaroche the following year. The LEAP-1C is the first of the family to begin flight testing on a modified GE Boeing 747-100. In 2021, the CFM International partnership has been renewed until 2050 and extended to include services. General Electric T58 The General Electric T58

230-612: A new engine, the TG-180, which was designated J35 by the US military. Development funds were allotted in 1946 for a more powerful version of the same design, the TG-190. This engine finally emerged as the famed General Electric J47 , which saw a great demand for several military aircraft; a second manufacturing facility in Evendale, Ohio , near Cincinnati , was opened. J47 production ran to 30,000 engines by

276-638: A scaled compressor with variable stator vanes, an annual combustor, turbine-cooling advancements, and new materials for several government research programs. The US Government initially supported development of the GE1 to produce the J97 engine. The GE1 design and technology helped General Electric produce a range of engines, including the GE1/6 turbofan demonstrator for the TF39 engine the GE4 for

322-773: A specialist in military aircraft, Snecma had neither the sales organization nor the international presence needed to compete in the civil sector. In 1971, Snecma was looking for a partner to develop, manufacture and sell the future CFM56 engine . The difficulties encountered by the Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce development programs quickly left General Electric as the only viable partner. A delegation comprising Snecma Chairman Jacques-Edouard Lamy, Sales Director Jean Crépin and Technical Director Michel Garnier travelled to Lynn, Massachusetts, in April 1970 to meet GE representatives. Gerhard Neumann (head of GE's Aircraft Engine Business Group) understood

368-451: A turbine consisting of 300 components with one piece. The electron beam melting has good speed for economy, precision to reduce processing work, and size capability for larger parts; the hot process reduces stresses in the part and penetrates deeper than laser for thicker parts with coarser, cheaper metal powders . Additive techniques can be used across the engine and even in the over 1,500 °F (820 °C) hot section. They are used in

414-654: Is an American turboshaft engine developed for helicopter use. First run in 1955, it remained in production until 1984, by which time some 6,300 units had been built. On July 1, 1959, it became the first turbine engine to gain FAA certification for civil helicopter use. The engine was license-built and further developed by de Havilland in the UK as the Gnome , in the West Germany by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz , and also manufactured by Alfa Romeo and

460-603: Is headquartered in Cincinnati , Ohio. It was founded in 1974 to build and support the CFM56 series of turbofan engines. CFM is the world's largest commercial aircraft engine manufacturer, with a 39% market share as of 2020 . It has delivered more than 37,500 of its engines to more than 570 operators. The name CFM is derived from the two parent companies' commercial engine designations: GE's CF series and Snecma's M series. While General Electric's military engine business for fighter jets

506-653: Is the GEnx , a development of the GE90. The engine was also the exclusive power plant on the Boeing 747-8 . The Lynn facility continues to assemble jet engines for the United States Department of Defense , subsidiary services, and commercial operators. Engines assembled at this plant include the F404 , F414 , T700 , and CFE738 . The plant at Lynn also produces the -3 and -8 variants of

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552-736: The Boeing 2707 supersonic airliner, and the GE9 engine for the USAF's Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, later GE F101 engines for the B-1 bomber.: The General Electric F101 was later developed into the General Electric F110 and CFM International CFM56 engines. The TF39 was the first high-bypass turbofan engine to enter production. Entered into the C-5 Galaxy contest in 1964 against similar designs from Curtiss-Wright and Pratt & Whitney , GE's entry

598-1010: The CF34 regional jet engine, the CT7 commercial turboprop power plant, and commercial versions of the T700 turboshaft which are also called the CT7. The Evendale plant conducts final assembly for the CFM International 's CFM56 , CF6 , as well as LM6000 , and LM2500 power plants. The Durham, North Carolina , facility conducts final assembly for the CFM LEAP , GEnx, CFM56, GE90 , GP7200, and CF34 power plants. Crucial parts for these engines are crafted in secondary GE Aviation facilities, such as those in Bromont, Quebec ; Hooksett, New Hampshire ; Wilmington, North Carolina ; Asheville, North Carolina ; Madisonville, Kentucky ; Rutland, Vermont ; and Muskegon, Michigan ; where

644-642: The CFE CFE738 , Pratt & Whitney on the Engine Alliance GP7000 , and, more recently, Honda for the GE Honda Aero Engines small turbofan project. GE also continued the development of its own lines, introducing new civilian models like the GE90 , and military designs like the General Electric F110 . GE and competitor Rolls-Royce were selected by Boeing to power its new 787 . GE Aviation's offering

690-616: The CT58-100 variant was obtained two years later. A number of unusual features are incorporated into the T58: The main production version of the engine was the T58-GE-10 , developing 1,400 hp (1,044 kW). The most powerful version, the T58-GE-16, produces 1,870 hp (1,390 kW). Two T58s, converted to turbojets by the removal of the power turbines, were used as the engines on

736-502: The CT7 combustor liner, for GE9X low pressure turbine blades – the first rotating parts – and for 16 parts in the ATP , including an 80 parts heat exchanger consolidated into one. CFM International CFM International is a Franco-American aircraft engine manufacturer. The company is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines (formerly known as Snecma) and

782-499: The IHI Corporation . Development commenced with a 1953 US Navy requirement for a helicopter turboshaft to weigh under 400 lb (180 kg) while delivering 800 hp (600 kW). The engine General Electric eventually built weighed only 250 lb (110 kg) and delivered 1,050 hp (780 kW) and was soon ordered into production. First flight was on a modified Sikorsky HSS-1 in 1957, and civil certification for

828-625: The T58 and T64 turboshaft engines, the J85 turbojet, and F404 turbofan. Starting in 1961, General Electric started one of their most important research and development efforts, the GE1 technology demonstrator (originally designated the X101). The GE1 was a basic gas generator (compressor, combustor and turbine) onto which a variety of components such as fans, afterburners or other thrust vectoring devices could be added later. The design incorporated technologies such as

874-456: The T700 . It has been further developed as the CT7 turboprop engine for regional transports. In 1974 GE entered into an agreement with Snecma of France, forming CFM International to jointly produce a new mid-sized turbofan, which emerged as the CFM56 . A 50/50 joint partnership was formed with a new plant in Evendale, OH to produce the design. At first, sales were very difficult to come by, and

920-551: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation , deliveries of LEAP engines across the first nine months of 2020 fell to 622 from 1,316 in the same period in 2019, and 123 CFM56 against 327, while LEAP fleet cycles were down 15% year-on-year and CFM cycles were 48% lower. CFM announced the RISE project in June 2021, with plans to enter service in the mid 2030s. In the early 2000s, CFM launched

966-521: The Caravelle flying testbench. The first flight took place at Mérignac, near Bordeaux. It lasted just over three hours and was designed to assess the performance of the engine and nacelle. In January 1979, ground and flight tests reached a total of more than 4,000 hours. Five years after the creation of the company, and eight years after the start of the project, any contract had yet to be signed by aircraft manufacturers. The French government threatened to put

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1012-596: The I-40 (now known as the J33 ) was also handed to Allison Engines in 1944. After the war ended, the Army canceled its orders for GE-built J33s and turned the entire production over to Allison, and the Syracuse plant closed. These changes in fortune led to debate within the company about carrying on in the aircraft engine market. However, the engineers at Lynn pressed ahead with the development of

1058-627: The Persian Gulf. On December 23, 2012, GE announced that it has agreed to purchase the aeronautical division of Avio , an Italy-based manufacturer of aviation propulsion components and systems for civil and military aircraft, for $ 4.3 billion U.S. (EUR3.3 billion). GE Aviation follows through to develop a supersonic engine concept for Aerion with a configuration accommodating reasonably well requirements for supersonic speed, subsonic speed and noise levels. On July 18, 2022, GE announced that GE Aviation had been renamed "GE Aerospace", and would become

1104-481: The United States. For the first time an engine has been certified jointly by the US agency and a European national agency. The CFM56 can now power commercial transport aircraft. The CFM56 made its first commercial flight in April 1982 on a DC-8 Super 70 for Delta Airlines, on a route between Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. In February 1987, Snecma achieved its initial goal of becoming a benchmark engine manufacturer for

1150-492: The combined unit the clout to resist pricing pressures from its two largest customers, Boeing and Airbus . Analysts further assert that it enables General Electric to acquire assets similar to those it desired in its failed bid for Honeywell in 2000. Along with the purchase of Smiths Aerospace, the purchase included opening the first University Development Center at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan , in

1196-736: The effort to work with engineering students to provide training in engineering and software development. The program has performed well and GE Aviation has announced further UDC openings at Kansas State University . In July 2008, governments in the Persian Gulf reached agreements with GE to expand engine maintenance operations there. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mubadala Development Company , which owns Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, an overhaul, and maintenance company, signed an agreement worth an estimated $ 8 billion with GE; Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies will maintain and overhaul GE engines used in commercial aircraft purchased by airlines based in

1242-447: The engine blades and vanes are manufactured. Smiths Group and General Electric announced on January 15, 2007, that the former was divesting Smiths Aerospace to the latter for £ 2.4 billion ( US$  4.8 billion). GE Aviation closed the transaction on May 4, 2007. Smiths Aerospace, which was an important supplier, became an operating subsidiary of GE Aviation known as GE Aviation Systems . This acquisition will reportedly give

1288-673: The first time. Together with the German company MTU (Motoren-und-Turbinen-Union), the two companies produced parts for the CF6-50 engine powering the Airbus A300. At the same time, and since the mid-1960s, Snecma began conducting a series of thermodynamic, aerodynamic and acoustic studies to establish the main characteristics of the M56 engine. Several objectives were set: low noise level, minimal fuel consumption, reduced maintenance and overall operating costs. At

1334-590: The much more powerful I-40 (J33) followed in 1944, which went on to power the first US combat-capable jet fighters, the P-80 Shooting Star . Early jet engine work took place at GE's Syracuse, New York, (steam turbine) and Lynn, Massachusetts , (supercharger) plants, but soon concentrated at the Lynn plants. On 31 July 1945 the Lynn plant became the "Aircraft Gas Turbine Division". GE was repeatedly unable to deliver enough engines for Army and Navy demand, and production of

1380-529: The natural industrial partner to develop jet engines when Frank Whittle 's W.1 engine was demonstrated to Hap Arnold in 1941. A production license was arranged in September, and several of the existing W.1 test engines shipped to the US for study, where they were converted to US manufacture as the I-A . GE quickly started production of improved versions; the I-16 ( J31 ) was produced in limited numbers starting in 1942, and

1426-786: The new European twinjet, with the maiden flight of the CFM56-5-powered A320. In 1991, the 5,000th CFM56 was delivered to Airbus Industrie. The 10,000th CFM56 was delivered at the 1999 Paris Air Show. In 2016 CFM delivered 1,665 CFM56 and 77 LEAP , and booked 2,677 orders : 876 CFM56 and 1,801 LEAP for US$ 36 billion at list price. The LEAP engine backlog exceeded 12,200 which was valued at more than US$ 170 billion at list price. In 2017, CFM delivered 1,900 engines including 459 LEAPs, of which it plans to deliver 1,200 in 2018, 1,800 in 2019 and more than 2,000 in 2020. In 2019, CFM deliveries stood at 2,127 : 1,736 Leaps and 391 CFM56s (-63%), and plans to produce 1,400 engines in 2020. Due to

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1472-470: The next ten years. At first, the role of the high-altitude flight was limited, but in the years immediately prior to WWII they became standard equipment on practically all military aircraft. GE was a world leader in this technology; most other firms concentrated on the mechanically simpler supercharger driven by the engine itself, while GE had spent considerable effort developing the exhaust-driven turbo system that offered higher performance. This work made them

1518-421: The only business line of the former General Electric conglomerate, after it had completed the divestiture of GE HealthCare and GE Vernova (its energy businesses division). General Electric had a long history in steam turbine work, dating back to the 1900s. In 1903 they hired Sanford Alexander Moss , who started the development of turbosuperchargers at GE. This led to a series of record-breaking flights over

1564-619: The programme on hold if no commercial application was found before spring 1979. In the United States, United Airlines finally decided in March 1979 to choose the CFM56 to replace the engines of the DC-8 cargo aircraft. On November 8, 1979, the CFM56 was certified for a nominal thrust of 24,000 lb simultaneously by the DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile) in France and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in

1610-514: The project was due to be canceled. Only two weeks before this was to happen, in March 1979, several companies selected the CFM56 to re-engine their existing Douglas DC-8 fleets. By July 2010, CFM International had delivered their 21,000th engine of the CFM56 family, with an ongoing production rate of 1250 per year, against a four-year production backlog. The success of the CFM led GE to join in several similar partnerships, including Garrett AiResearch for

1656-513: The same time, the French government drew up its sixth five-year plan, defining the country's economic and industrial objectives for the period 1971-1975. The objectives of the French Aerospace Industry Committee converged with those of Snecma. The company and the government were well aware that the successful development of a 10-ton civil jet engine required international cooperation, for three main reasons. First, although Snecma

1702-399: The same year, the CFM56 carried out its first trial on a test bench at Villaroche. Boeing was one of the first aircraft manufacturers to realise the full potential of the CFM56 engine. Boeing president Thornton Wilson contacted Neumann and Ravaud in 1977 with a proposal for an agreement to replace the engines of the 707 using the CFM56. On March 17, 1977, flight testing of the CFM56 began on

1748-604: The scope of this new strategic opportunity in Europe and agreed to a 50/50 partnership. Safran Group On January 24, 1974, as part of the development of the CFM56, Snecma and General Electric signed the final agreement governing the proposed joint venture. Although the company was already up and running, a number of legal and administrative formalities delayed its legal incorporation until September 1974. Named CFM International, this company under French law, with capital of 400,000 francs, created in equal shares by Snecma and General Electric,

1794-453: The successor to the GE company once the spinoffs of its subsidiaries are completed. GE Aerospace will own the GE trademark and logo, and will license the brand to the other companies, GE HealthCare and GE Vernova . Recently, they have started incorporating 3D printing technologies in their engines and have incorporated the manufacturing process in the newly designed GE9X , the largest jet engine in

1840-644: The time the lines closed down in 1956. Further development of the J47 by led to the J73 , and from there into the much more powerful J79 . The J79 was GE's second "hit", leading to a production run of 17,000 in several different countries. The GE and Lockheed team that developed the J79 and the F-104 Mach 2 fighter aircraft received the 1958 Collier Trophy for outstanding technical achievement in aviation. Other successes followed, including

1886-483: The world. GE acquired Arcam EBM for electron beam melting , Concept Laser for laser melting , and material provider AP&C. Metal casting improves through competition with metal additive manufacturing , for which GE Additive believes it will soon compete with metal forging which will then be enhanced in response. Additive manufacturing is focused on new builds but can be used for part replacement: when complexity rise, costs can stays level – for example, replacing

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1932-468: Was capable of developing advanced technologies, it lacked experience, particularly in the development of high-pressure turbines. It didn’t master the technology of variable stators, nor that of small fixed and mobile blades, required for the final high-load stages of the high-pressure compressor. Secondly, domestic sources of supply for high-temperature alloys and foundry and machining technologies for cooled high-pressure turbine blades were limited. Finally, as

1978-428: Was responsible for managing the program and marketing the engines. CFM's first CEO, Jean Sollier, chaired a ten-member board of directors, five from GE and five from Snecma, including two vice-presidents, Neumann and Ravaud. The two companies share design, development and production equally. Final assembly, sales and services are handled by each partner using its own resources. The logo concept proposed by Jean Sollier,

2024-699: Was selected as the winner during the final down-select in 1965. This led to a civilian model, the CF6 , which was offered for the Lockheed L-1011 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 projects. Although Lockheed later changed their engine to the Rolls-Royce RB211 , the DC-10 continued with the CF6, and this success led to widespread sales on many large aircraft including the Boeing 747 . Another military-to-civilian success followed when GE

2070-504: Was selected to supply engines for the S-3 Viking and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II , developing a small high-bypass engine using technologies from the TF39. The resulting TF34 was adapted to become the CF34 , whose wide variety of models powers many of the regional jets flying today. In the early 1970s, GE was also selected to develop a modern turboshaft engine for helicopter use,

2116-614: Was undeniably booming, the American company's ambitions were struggling to materialise in the civil sector. It was not until the late 1950s that GE made its first foray into this market. On the other side, Snecma has been thinking since the mid-1960s about the best strategy for approaching the civil market with a new engine offering major performance gains in terms of fuel consumption and noise reduction, characteristics increasingly sought after by aircraft manufacturers and airlines. In 1969, General Electric and Snecma began working together for

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