Power for the Jumbo Jetand the Dreamliner

1/2010

Customers + Partners MTU Global

MTU support for the“flying gas station”

Testing down to the last detail

MTU Aero Engines Holding AGDachauer Straße 66580995 Munich • GermanyTel. +49 89 1489-0Fax +49 89 1489-5500info@mtu.dewww.mtu.de

Technology + Science

Hardfaced tips for topefficiency

Dear Readers:

Finally, yes finally, the bird is on the wing.Late last year, the new A400M military trans-port aircraft successfully completed its long-awaited, eagerly anticipated maiden flightabove the Spanish city of Seville. The reliefwas palpable throughout the industry; delaysto the project had been creating too muchturbulence all round. Now, the ongoing flighttest program is demonstrating the superiorcapabilities of both the aircraft and itsTP400-D6 engine.

This merely confirms what tests on theground and on the flying test bed had alreadyproved: The propulsion system as a whole,including its control system, meets all speci-fication requirements—from its enormous11,000-shaft-horsepower output and impres-sive fuel consumption data to its vibrationbehavior and thermal efficiency. And thehighly complex engine control software isalso operating as it should.

The A400M is the only transport aircraft inits class in the Western world. It promises aunique operational spectrum and permitscompletely new mission profiles. The samecan be said for its engine: Never before havethe Western nations produced such a power-ful turboprop, and never before has such acomplex engine control system been devel-oped for a propulsion system. The A400Mand its TP400-D6 engine are effectivelypushing the limits of what is currently tech-nologically achievable. I believe we should allbe proud of the fact that this in its entiretysystem has been created in Europe. TheA400M is tangible proof of the tremendousengineering expertise that exists within ourcompanies.

Editorial

Testing down to the last detail

MTU support for the “flying gas station”

Four TP400-D6 engines lift Europe’s new military transport, the A400M, up intothe air—now almost an everyday occurrence at Seville airport. Since the maidenflight in December 2009, flight testing has been in full swing. Page 4

In the high-pressure compressor, robustblades ensure minimum clearances be-tween the blade tips and the hard liningof the casing. MTU Aero Engines hasdeveloped a new method of hardfacingblade tips to increase their wear resist-ance.

However, the program highlights somethingelse too—something we have witnessed re-peatedly in the past. Almost all the majorcommercial and military aircraft programsthat have ever been initiated in Europe andthe United States have been subject todelays, some of them massive. In this respect,the A400M is no exception. As things standat present, in pure economic terms, MTUdoes not expect the program to produce apositive contribution to earnings. But the sig-nificant investments we have made in re-search and development will serve to main-tain our core technological competences andsystems expertise. Almost all the old aircraftprograms that were dogged by initial delayswent on to prove successful. Perhaps thesame will prove true for the A400M, in theform of follow-up contracts for the exportmarket. Both the aircraft and its engine un-doubtedly merit it.

Sincerely yours,

Egon BehleChief Executive Officer

Hardfaced tips for top efficiency

American Airlines, the world’s second-largest carrier, has selected the GEnx-1Bfor its fleet of Boeing 787s. MTU willsupply the turbine center frame for thisGE engine starting in early 2012.

Power for the Jumbo Jet andthe Dreamliner

2 3

The KC-10 Extenders operated by the U.S. Air Force are powered by CF6-50engines, for which MTU Maintenance provides service support. The company is apartner in the U.S. bidding consortium which won the contract.

Testing down to the last detail 4 – 7

Power for the Jumbo Jet and the DreamlinerA boost for the MRJ

8 – 11

12 – 15

Hardfaced tips for top efficiencyFiber-reinforced materials for future engines

16 – 19

MTU support for the “flying gas station”

24 – 27

20 – 23

New power for a legendary aircraftA customer almost from day one

Roaring through the desert at 1,000 mph

28 – 31 32 – 33

34 – 37

38– 3939

In Brief

Masthead

Contents

Cover Story

Customers + Partners

Technology + Science

MTU Global

Products + Services

Report

Page 8

Page 24

Page 16

Testing down to thelast detail

Germany’s leading engine manufacturer is apartner in the EPI Europrop International en-gine consortium and is responsible, amongother things, for the extremely complex soft-ware used in the TP400-D6’s control unit.MTU also supplies the intermediate-pressurecompressor, turbine and shaft for the engineand is in charge of final assembly. Some 20engines have already been delivered, includ-

5

By Patrick Hoeveler

Blue skies stretch out above Seville as four TP400-D6 engines lift Europe’s latest militarytransport aircraft, the A400M, up into the air. The sight is now almost an everyday occur-rence at the Spanish airport. Since the maiden flight of the new Airbus in December 2009,flight testing has been in full swing. “Thus far we haven’t encountered any major problemswith the engine,” reports Dr. Wolfgang Gärtner, Director, Engineering, Military Programs atMTU Aero Engines.

4 Cover Story

ing those for the second and third prototypesof the A400M. In the course of the develop-ment process, the engineers had to come upwith a whole range of technical solutions inorder to meet the very ambitious perform-ance and weight requirements.

Developing a new engine from scratch isalways a challenge but, in the case of the

TP400-D6 for the Airbus A400M, more thanjust one challenge was involved. The TP400-D6 comes as a three-shaft configuration andis the most powerful turboprop engine in theWestern world. “We made every effort to re-duce the engine’s weight,” explains Dr. JörgHenne, Senior Vice President, Engineeringand Technology at MTU. As a result, the five-stage intermediate-pressure compressor can

do without variable geometry, and all therotors have been designed as weight-savingblisk components. Quite apart from savingproduction costs and reducing the engineweight, these innovations also enhance per-formance because the flow losses associat-ed with variable vanes and leakages nolonger occur. As Henne points out: “A furtherdifficulty was the extremely asymmetrical

inlet, which is located behind the propellerand influences the air flow. But we managedto solve that problem by carrying out an inte-grated simulation of the inlet and the com-pressor and making appropriate design alter-ations based on the results.”

The job wasn’t made any easier by thedemanding scenarios in which military trans-

ports have to operate: In contrast with com-mercial engines, their military cousins needto withstand much higher forces duringmaneuvers such as narrow curves and steepapproaches. This is why, for example, theengine casing has to be much more rigid. Inaddition, as take-offs and landings onunsealed runways are par for the course, theengines have to be robust enough to cope

76 Cover Story

with the ingress of foreign objects. All theseaspects have to be tested down to the lastdetail, which involved a total of more than3,500 hours of trials with 12 engines on dif-ferent test rigs. “Except for special tests, suchas sand ingestion testing, the general test pro-cedure is similar to that for engines destinedfor commercial aircraft,” explains Henne.

This is where MTU was able to benefit fromits noncontact blade vibration measurementsystem, which enables engineers to study thebehavior of the compressor blades using laseroptics. Put simply, the system focuses on apoint attached to the blade, which is forecastto be in a certain position at a certain time. Ifthe spot appears later than the calculationspredict, the blade has been deformed as aresult of vibrations. Sophisticated softwarethen analyzes the extent of the deformationdetected. As Henne explains: “We have beenusing this technique on compressors for manyyears now. It requires less effort than themechanical method using strain gages andcould soon be used in areas of the engineswhere temperatures are higher.”

Gärtner explains: “The intermediate-pressurecompressor can be directly hit by any foreignobject, not just by birds. By contrast, turbo-fans are better protected: the fan interceptsthe majority of foreign objects, diverting theminto the bypass stream. Both of the tests wecarried out were successful.”

The control system has a key role to play inthe smooth functioning of the new engine, asGärtner outlines: “Its job is a highly complexone. The number of interfaces to the aircraftalone has grown by a factor of ten in com-parison with the control unit used in theEurofighter Typhoon engine.” Although MTUwas able to draw on the knowledge it hadgained with the EJ200, the engineers werenevertheless entering uncharted waters withthe TP400-D6 because certification of EPI’smilitary engine by the civil aviation authoritywas also required. “That meant a much morecomprehensive process for validating thesystems’ capabilities as well as a lot morepaperwork,” says Henne. “A stacked printoutof the documentation would probably be atleast one meter high. The actual programmingwas only a small part of the work. The soft-ware isn’t tangible—we have to measure itseffectiveness by the job it does. And only aseamless series of tests can reveal how wellthe job is done.”

And the tests are as diverse as they are com-prehensive. First off, sub-routines are testedon a computer, with test programs simulat-ing an input; the technicians then comparethe output with the requirements. In the nextstep, they connect parts of the software tothe control unit. The final phase involves theso-called Iron Bird, a complete mock-up ofthe aircraft and all its systems set up byAirbus to study how they interact. A separatecomputer is used to simulate the behavior ofthe engine itself. The testing process is not aone-way street: If problems occur during thefinal phase, appropriate solutions are integ-

rated in the updated versions, and the test-ing loop begins again.

Software development and tests do not endonce certification for the TP400-D6 has beenobtained, as the functional scope will contin-ue to grow and findings from the flight test-ing phase also need to be integrated. “It’s anongoing process,” says Gärtner. “We’ll beable to use many of the lessons learned infuture programs.”

Another key step in the approval processwere the bird strike tests, which also fell with-in MTU’s responsibility; after all, the companyhad gained invaluable experience in this fieldwith its experiments on the EJ200 enginepowering the Eurofighter Typhoon. The spe-cialists carried out two simulated bird strikeson a test rig at Techspace Aero in Belgium.

Although the tests themselves took only sec-onds, months were needed both for prepara-tion and for conversion of the test rig. Thefirst test involved a bird dummy weighingalmost two kilograms hitting a predefinedpart of the engine at a certain speed. In thesecond, the TP400-D6 had to handle twosmaller test birds of an equivalent mass, as

The Airbus A400M during its maiden flight with TP400-D6 engines above Seville in December 2009.MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has commenced testing of the A400M’s TP400-D6 engine in 2005. Theshop boasts the only production test facility for this engine worldwide.

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go towww.mtu.de/110A400M

For additional information, contactDr. Wolfgang Gärtner+49 89 1489-6239

Power for the JumboJet and the Dreamliner

By Achim Figgen

8 9

It was a moment of great joy for both Boeing in Seattle and MTU Aero Engines in Munich when inOctober 2009 American Airlines announced that it had selected the GEnx-1B engine to power itsBoeing 787 fleet. The world’s second-largest airline will equip 42 jets for which it has placed firmorders, plus 58 on option, with the new General Electric engine. The German engine manufacturerwill be supplying the turbine center frame (TCF) for this propulsion system starting in early 2012.

If American Airlines does indeed purchaseall 220 engines as planned, MTU can counton revenues of around 150 million eurosfrom this order alone. And that’s not the endof it. So far, General Electric has logged firmorders and options for more than 1,400GEnx engines, and there are still buyers ofthe 787 that are yet to decide between thetwo alternative engines on offer. WolfgangHiereth, Director, GE Programs at MTU, esti-mates the demand for the two engine ver-sions—the GEnx-1B for the Dreamliner andthe GEnx-2B as the sole engine for the 747-8,

Customers + Partners

the newest version of the Jumbo Jet—at some4,400 units over the next two decades.

In December 2008, MTU took a 6.7-percentstake in the GEnx. As of 2012, MTU will besupplying the turbine center frame (TCF) forthis engine, a component the company isbuilding also for the GP7000 engine thatpowers the Airbus A380. Weighing in ataround 200 kilograms and positioned be-tween the high-pressure and low-pressureturbines, the TCF is a key component. Itsfunction is to route the gases exiting the

high-pressure turbine at a temperature ofabout 1,300 degrees Kelvin past structuralcomponents and tubes toward the low-pres-sure turbine, making sure the aerodynamiclosses are kept to a minimum. The develop-ment and production of this extremely thin-walled cast gas-duct component poses amajor challenge, given the high mechanicaland thermal stresses resulting from the dif-ference in temperature between ambient airand the engine exhaust gases, and therequirement to keep its weight as low aspossible.

Even though the GEnx-1B engine for theBoeing 787 received FAA certification backin March 2008 already, and the GEnx-2B suc-cessfully completed its maiden flight on theBoeing 747-8 in February this year, the engi-neers at GE and its partners still have a greatdeal of work ahead of them. Some of thecomponents need optimizing to make surethe new engine meets Boeing’s fuel con-sumption targets for the Dreamliner. On theGEnx-1B, for instance, General Electric hasmodified both the combustor and the cooling-air ducts in the blades of the first stage ofthe high-pressure turbine. The first flight ofthis engine on the Dreamliner is planned forMay 2010. In addition to these modifications,the low-pressure turbine will be upgraded aspart of the so-called Performance Improve-ment Package 1 (PIP 1), with initial tests ofthis module being slated for the summer.

U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing launchedthe 787 program back in January 2003,after shelving its planned Sonic Cruiser, aconcept for a long-haul airliner whose dis-tinguishing feature was to be its high-sub-sonic cruising speed, in favor of a more tra-ditional, but highly fuel-efficient airliner.

MTU, too, will have more development workto complete before production can com-mence. The Munich engineers won’t just beproducing the TCF as designed by GeneralElectric based on the TCF in the GE90 pow-ering the Boeing 777, but make a number ofmodifications; for instance, the hot-gasducts, whose complex three-dimensionalgeometry makes them extremely difficult toproduce, require redesigning. Moreover, theengineers will look into options to use newmaterials to reduce the weight of the com-ponent. The U.S. engine maker has alreadygiven MTU the go-ahead for its plans, saysHiereth. New production processes will beintroduced to ensure that the TCF can beproduced at the lowest cost.

According to current plans, production of thefirst components will commence in the fall,

1110 Customers + Partners

with the first complete TCF being deliveredto General Electric for testing by the fall of2011. Then, at the very latest, it will become

Even though the 787 doesn’t look very dif-ferent from today’s passenger jets, it incor-porates many of the advanced design fea-tures developed while Boeing was examin-ing the futuristic Sonic Cruiser concept.For instance, composite materials are usedfor most of its construction, which will help

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Production of the module MTU contributes to theGEnx will be launched in Munich in the summer of2010; preparations are already in full swing.

MTU employees with a model of the turbine center frame.

For further information on this article, go towww.mtu.de/110GEnx

For additional information, contactWolfgang Hiereth+49 89 1489-3501

clear whether the extent of testing to whichthe new materials and production processeswere subjected at MTU is sufficient to obtainapproval for the new TCF as a derivative ofthe original design, or whether additional testruns of the entire engine are required.

Regardless of the outcome, the setting-up ofthe new production line is proceeding asplanned to make sure a delivery rate of 20 to25 TCFs per month can be achieved as from2011, when production will be launched.

reduce operating costs compared with theAirbus A330 and Boeing 767 currently inuse, as the manufacturer promises. Amajor contribution towards lower costs isexpected to come from the newly devel-oped engines—the General Electric GEnxand the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000—, both ofwhich offer substantial improvements infuel economy.

Boeing had initially planned three versionsof the Dreamliner: a baseline model, the787-8 with a capacity accommodating 210to 250 passengers; a stretched version, the787-9 for 250 to 290 passengers; and amid-range variant, the 787-3, carrying up to330 passengers and targeted at high-densi-ty, short- to medium-haul flights. However,since All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines,the only customers for the latter, cancelledor converted their orders, Boeing is likely toscrap the 787-3 and instead, might developan even longer variant, the 787-10, a ver-sion at the high end of its port-folio whichmany airlines have expressed a stronginterest in.

After repeated delays, the first Dreamlinermade its maiden flight on December 15 lastyear. If the test and certification programproceeds without a hitch and on schedule,the first Dreamliners will be delivered tocustomers by the end of 2010.

The Dreamliner is powered by GEnx-1B engines.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the U.S. airframer’s latest aircraft model.

A boost for the MRJThe Japanese Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program is gaining momentum as Mitsubishi AircraftCorporation has acquired its first large customer. U.S.-based Trans States Holdings intends to buy upto 100 aircraft. In addition to the 78- and 92-seat versions, the holding company is also interestedin the 100-seater recently proposed. The MRJ will be powered by Pratt & Whitney’s new geared turbo-fan, in which MTU Aero Engines holds a stake.

By Tobias von Wangenheim/Martina Vollmuth

In October last year Mitsubishi AircraftCorporation and Trans States Holdings, whichis headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri,signed a letter of intent (LOI) covering a firmorder for 50 MRJ aircraft and options foranother 50. “The world has high expecta-tions for the MRJ. One area where this isespecially true is the U.S. with many routeswhere airlines operate 50- to 90-seatregional jets, so we are extremely proud toreceive this order from one of the largest

regional airline holding companies in theU.S.,” said Mitsubishi Aircraft PresidentHideo Egawa, who continued to add: “Wewould like to take this opportunity to furtherramp up our sales activities around theworld.”

Trans States is betting on the improved effi-ciency of the new Japanese aircraft. The MRJis expected to burn 20 percent less fuel thancomparably sized aircraft currently available

in the market. The holding company expectsa competitive edge from the new jet andhopes for additional contracts from the largeAmerican airlines. Privately owned TransStates Holdings owns and operates tworegional carriers, Trans States Airlines andGoJet Airlines, that offer around 350 flightsdaily serving 50 cities on behalf of UnitedAirlines and US Airways. Around five millionpassengers are carried annually.

1312 Customers + Partners

It is not yet clear which MRJ version TransStates will eventually order, but the companyis interested in all versions: the 78-seatMRJ70, the 92-seat MRJ90 and the recentlyproposed 100-seater. “We believe that theMRJ is a game-changing regional jet thattakes into account the environment, as wellas passenger and airline needs. The MRJ willreduce fuel consumption, noise and NOx

emissions—this means savings on operatingcosts,” explained Trans States HoldingsPresident Richard A. Leach.

The innovative engine makes a crucial contri-bution here: the MRJ is powered exclusivelyby Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® PW1217Ggeared turbofan. MTU has a 15-percent stakein this highly innovative engine. Germany’sleading engine manufacturer develops andmanufactures the high-speed low-pressureturbine and contributes the forward stagesof the high-pressure compressor. The ground-breaking geared turbofan architecture offersa number of advantages: “The GTF reducesfuel consumption and associated CO2 emis-sions by double-digit percentages. It is con-siderably quieter than conventional engines,and is substantially more cost-effective inoperation,” according to Dr. Christian Winkler,Director, Business & Partnership Develop-

ment and New Programs at MTU in Munich.He continues: “The engine’s NOx emissionsare 50 percent lower than the stringent stan-dard in force since 2008.”

The MRJ is setting new benchmarks not onlyin terms of improved environmental compati-bility and innovative engine design, but alsothanks to its sophisticated aerodynamics and

lightweight construction. Its cockpit will re-flect the latest state-of-the-art, thus ensuringefficient flight control. The regional jet’scabin, too, has much to offer: It is more spa-cious than that of any other aircraft in itsclass and provides an unprecedented level ofcomfort, comparable only to that of the mostadvanced long-haul aircraft, for exampleBoeing’s new 787 Dreamliner. The noise level

For additional information, contactDr. Christian Winkler+49 89 1489-8663

For further information on this article, go towww.mtu.de/110PW1000G

in the cabin is very low thanks to the ‘whis-pering engines’, and airport neighborsshould also be pleased with these low-noiseengines.

The new Japanese aircraft is currently in thefinal design phase and is due to take off forits maiden flight in the second quarter of2012. The first variant will be delivered tocustomers during the first quarter of 2014;the smaller MRJ70 variant will follow a yearlater. Mitsubishi has already also proposed athird version, which would seat 100 passen-gers in the standard configuration. Assumingthe response to this proposal is positive,development of the MRJ100 could beginwithin the next two years.

Including the All Nippon Airways’ launchorder for 15 aircraft and an option for anoth-er ten, current orders and options stand at125 aircraft. Says Winkler: “We cautiouslyestimate the market for regional jets at3,850 aircraft over the next 20 years.”Mitsubishi Aircraft pegs the demand ataround 5,000 units. Since the MRJ is its onlynew development on the horizon, theJapanese manufacturer hopes to secure amajor share in this market.

Highest precision: An MTU employee dimensionally inspects a stage 2 disk for the PW1000G low-pressure turbine.

A stage 1 disk of the PW1000G low-pressure turbine is being milled. The engine will power the MRJ.

1514 Customers + Partners

Leaner, greener, cleaner

The geared turbofan (GTF) is U.S. manu-facturer Pratt & Whitney’s most recentengine program. The engine is being devel-oped in close cooperation with MTU. Twoversions are currently being built: thePurePower® PW1217G (takeoff thrust:17,000 pounds) for the MRJ and thePurePower® PW1523G, a 23,000-poundthrust version, for Bombardier’s CSeries.

Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut is alsoopting for the GTF and wants to use it inits MS-21, a new narrow-body in theA320 class. The geared turbofan is alsobeing discussed as a potential propulsioncandidate for a re-engined A320 family;negotiations with Airbus are alreadyunderway.

Dimensional inspection of a high-speed low-pressure turbine for the PW1000G.

Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut will launch a new aircraft, the MS-21, which will also be powered by thegeared turbofan.

16 Technology + Science

Hardfaced tips for top efficiency

In a high-pressure compressor, it is important to keep the clearance between the tips of the rotor blades and the hardlining of the casing to a minimum, so as to ensure the consistently high engine efficiency that goes hand in hand withlower fuel consumption. To keep the clearance as small as possible, the blades need to be particularly robust. MTUAero Engines has invented and submitted a patent application for a new method of hardfacing blade tips by electro-plating to increase their wear resistance.

By Denis Dilba

Until now, the hardfacing material for bladetips consisted of particles of cubic boronnitride (cBN) brazed onto the blade tip. “Thisceramic material is second after diamond onthe hardness scale, and is correspondinglyexpensive,” explains MTU joining expertBernd Daniels. To achieve the smallest pos-sible clearance between the casing and therotor of the high-pressure compressor—as ameans of minimizing leakage flow and theresulting power losses—it is common prac-tice to use blades without hardfacings thatcarve out their tracks in a relatively soft lin-

ing in the casing. The problem is that theclearance widens over time because thesoft abradable lining of the casing becomeseroded. The result is a drop in engine effi-ciency, higher fuel burn, and shorter mainte-nance and repair intervals.

To substantially increase the service life offuture generations of aero engines, such asthe geared turbofan being developed by U.S.engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W) in col-laboration with MTU, harder, more wear-resistant materials will be used for the cas-

ing lining and the blade tips will be providedwith a hardfacing. The hardfacing must en-sure that the blade tips can accurately grindtheir tracks in the new, hard casing liningand provide the blade material with ade-quate protection. “The hardfaced blade tipsrub against the hard casing lining, abradingthe material in much the same way as agrinding wheel cuts into a component,” saysJosef Linska, MTU development engineer forelectroplating techniques.

17

1918

For additional information, contactDr. Max Niegl+49 89 1489-3639

For further information on this article, go towww.mtu.de/110cBN

Technology + Science

According to Linska, MTU had two reasonsfor wanting to develop a similar but lower-costmethod. Firstly, the company had alreadyachieved positive results with the use of hard-facings brazed in place on blade tips in mili-tary engines, especially in the high-pressurecompressor of the EJ200 engine powering theEurofighter Typhoon. And secondly, the com-pany wanted to use this technology in high-volume production projects in the future.

The first experimental tests of MTU’s newmethod for applying electroplated hardfac-ings onto blade tips took place in the summerof 2008. The team led by Linska and Danielschose to perform these tests on individualblades from the high-pressure compressor ofthe EJ200 engine, because their geometry isvery similar to that of future blades and, fur-thermore, they require only minor adaptationof the existing test rigs. Since July 2009, thenew electroplating has been applied on to

components of next-generation engines, aresult attributable not least to the excellentcooperation among the various MTU devel-opment and production departments in-volved. “It was nevertheless a long, stonyroad, where the obstacles strewn in our pathwere, as so often, due to the finer details,”concludes Linska.

This is how the process works: Firstly, beforethe hardfacing layer can be deposited, thecomponent has to be masked almost allround, leaving only the tiny surface at the tipof the blade exposed. Then a microscopicallythin layer of nickel is applied to a thicknessof around ten micrometers. The next stage, in-volving the application of cubic boron nitride(cBN) particles with a size of 75 micrometers,required a certain amount of ingenious think-ing on the part of the MTU engineers. For, asLinska explains: “We normally plate compo-nents by immersing them in an electroplating

bath with the coating substance, in this casenickel.” When a current is passed through theplating solution, the nickel migrates from thepositive pole and is deposited on the nega-tive pole, that is the component. At the sametime, the nickel gradually infiltrates andencloses the previously applied, evenly dis-tributed layer of hard cBN particles, fixingthem to the surface of the blade tip. Thedownside of this method is its high cost,because several hundred kilograms of cBNwould be required for an electroplating bathwith a volume of 1,000 liters. At a currentcommodity price of approximately 7.50 eurosper gram, the cost of the material wouldquickly rise to several million euros per bath.

To solve this dilemma, Linska designed spe-cial baskets for the plating process, which fitaround the blade tips. Each basket containsa small quantity of cBN particles, providing ahighly concentrated source of the hard mate-

Last preparations for hardfacing of blade tips.

rial in precisely the place where it is needed,namely at the blade tip. The big advantage isthat it considerably reduces the requiredquantity of the costly cBN. “We have submit-ted a patent application for this system,” re-ports Dr. Max Niegl, Senior Manager, SurfaceTechnology, Chemical and Mechanical Pro-cesses at MTU in Munich. The process hastwo advantages: It not only prolongs theservice life of the blade tips but also facili-tates their repair. In basic terms, this meansthat the old, possibly damaged protectivelayer can easily be removed by chemicalstripping and replaced. By comparison withthe old brazing approach, it will help reducecosts to around one fifth once further im-provements have been made. Niegl’s goal isto stabilize the costs of the process by 2013,when the PurePower® PW1000G geared tur-bofan is scheduled to go into production. Asignificant milestone along the way will bemet when the engine undergoes its firstseries of tests (the FETT or First Engine toTest stage). Scheduled for mid-2010, theywill serve to demonstrate that the first blade

tips hardfaced using the new electroplatingmethod are as efficient in an engine as theyhave hitherto been on the component test rig.

“Having all the manufacturing skills for thisprocess in-house represents a huge saving oftime and costs,” Niegl adds. If this wasn’t thecase, MTU would have to call on the servicesof Pratt & Whitney or a subcontractor to applythe hardfacing to the tips of the high-pressurecompressor blisks airfoils to suit the casingthat is being built and coated by the U.S. com-pany. Sending the components over to a coat-ing vendor would take at least one month.“Our aim is to reduce the turnaround time toless than one week,” according to Niegl.

The surface engineer would prefer not tothink about the things that could happen ifthe blades of a high-pressure compressorwere not adequately protected. In the worstcase, the titanium alloy could burst intoflames under the high operating tempera-tures, an exothermic reaction that is knownas titanium fire. According to Niegl this is “a

virtually uncontrollable situation, which ulti-mately could lead to total engine failure.”

Against this background, the MTU engineer’swork also involves flight-safety engineeringresponsibility. Niegl and his team have anessential role to play in ensuring that the pro-cesses they develop are capable of protect-ing the costly components against theextreme conditions they are exposed to inoperation. The challenge is enormous: Thecentrifugal forces generated during flightoperations when the engine is operating atvery high speeds can cause the blade tips tocome into contact with the casing. As Nieglconfirms: “Tip hardfacing, therefore, is a defi-nite must.”

Pratt & Whitney and MTU are jointly developing a new high-pressure compressor.

Fiber-reinforced materials for

future enginesWithout the increased use of lightweight and highly robust fiber-reinforced composites the aviation industry will not be able toachieve its ambitious climate targets. Experts all agree on that. Themost important representative of this class of materials is carbonfiber-reinforced plastic (CRP). While the manufacture of an aircraft’sstructural components, such as wings, fuselage parts and verticaltail fins, from this material is difficult enough, the use of CRP forengine components presents a real challenge.

By Denis Dilba

The reason lies in the extreme temperaturesand enormous mechanical stresses to whichengines are exposed in operation. This is whyfiber-reinforced composites can replace me-tallic materials only to a limited extent.“Before we select a particular material wehave to check whether its use for a given ap-plication makes sense from a performanceand cost-efficiency perspective,” says Dr. JörgEsslinger, Director, Materials Engineering atMTU Aero Engines in Munich. MTU’s manyyears of experience in materials engineeringhelp immensely here, according to the expert.“To be able to pick the optimum material youneed to have a pretty good idea of the benefitit offers, if its development and classificationare to pay off,” Esslinger says.

Apart from the performance of new materials,their availability, cost effectiveness and main-tenance costs must be taken into accountfrom the outset. These are high hurdles forfiber-reinforced plastics to clear, especiallywhen compared to metals, which have proventheir worth for decades and continue to ac-count for the lion’s share of the materialsused in engines. However, despite the quali-ties inherent in metals and sustained effortsto enhance the efficiency of the materialseven more, no further quantum leaps in per-formance can reasonably be expected,Esslinger explains. New composite materialspromise a remedy.

Today, between five and ten percent of thecomponents that make up an engine aremanufactured from these composites. “In thenext ten years, this share will double,” esti-mates Siegfried Sikorski, Esslinger’s col-league and composite materials specialist atGermany’s leading engine manufacturer. Themain objective is to reduce the engine’s over-all weight, thus cutting down on fuel con-sumption and CO2 emissions. This is particu-larly important for new generations of en-gines, such as the geared turbofan. SaysEsslinger: “The additional gearbox offers sig-nificant advantages, but adds to the weight ofthe engine. If we use new materials else-where in the engine we can compensate forthe weight increase and further improve theoverall balance.”

2120 Technology + Science

Seal carriers made from glass fiber-reinforced plasticprotect the metallic part they hold.

For additional information, contactDr. Jörg Esslinger+49 89 1489-4691

For further information on this article, go towww.mtu.de/110Composites

high and the quality achieved was inade-quate,” materials expert Esslinger recalls. Itwas therefore decided to keep track of fur-ther developments for the time being. Nowthat fiber-reinforced ceramics have foundtheir way into the automobile industry, “theirproduction has been brought under control,although component costs remain veryhigh,” Sikorski explains. He believes that thetechnology will be matured for productionuse in the engine industry within the nextfive to ten years and that some metallicmaterials will gradually be replaced with ce-ramics. First candidates to be manufacturedfrom the new material will be stationary com-ponents, such as casings or vanes.

The effort can only be successful if suppliersand research institutes cooperate moreclosely and with greater focus, and if theyare adequately sponsored, the compositesspecialist is certain. MTU already plays amajor role in pushing developments. Co-operation in the field of fiber-reinforcedceramics already exists with ProfessorKrenkel’s department, for example, and dis-cussions are underway with the DLR’s mate-rials specialists. “So we are well positionedfor the future,” says Esslinger.

Fiber-reinforced composites will not onlybenefit engines of the future; they havealready proven their worth in some produc-tion engines or are close to being introducedin production. For example, the rotating nosecone, the fan and the fan casing for the GEnxengine are made of carbon fiber-reinforcedplastic. Sikorski: “Composites can also beused for plugs, cable clips, levers or seals.”The fibers used for these parts are consider-ably shorter than those required for largercomponents such as the fan blades, so thatthese parts can be produced using the cost-effective injection molding process. The cur-rent temperature limit for fiber-reinforcedplastics is around 260 degrees Celsius. Infuture, the use of optimized resin mixtures tobond the fibers will permit the operatingtemperature range to be expanded to 300 to350 degrees Celsius. But that’s about theceiling for plastics, the MTU expert explains.

Fiber-reinforced ceramics offer a markedlyimproved high-temperature resistance butpractical applications are not in sight as yet.These high-tech materials consist of ceramicfibers which are embedded in a matrix of thesame material. Micro-cracks cannot propa-gate as easily as in normal ceramics; theirgrowth is blocked by the fibers. “This way, theotherwise highly brittle material is renderedquasi-ductile, which makes its failure behaviormore predictable,” explains Professor Dr.-Ing.Walter Krenkel of Bayreuth University’s de-partment for ceramic materials.

To become a potential alternative to superal-loys, fiber-reinforced ceramic materials stillneed to be further optimized in terms ofrigidity, heat resistance, wear properties andservice life. Their main advantage lies in thelow specific weight. “We are talking about afactor of three as compared with nickel-basealloys. That’s worlds apart in materials engi-neering,” confirms Dr. Jürgen Göring, anexpert for fiber-reinforced composites at theGerman Aerospace Center (DLR). What’smore, the ceramic materials can cope withtemperatures 150 to 200 degrees Celsiushigher than the nickel-base alloys can with-stand.

MTU had investigated this class of materialsas early as the 1990s. “Back then, the manu-facturing costs in particular were still too

In fiber-reinforced ceramics, alsoknown as ceramic matrix composites(CMC), silicon carbide (SiC), carbon(which is counted among ceramicmaterials here) and aluminum oxide(Al2O3) are used as fibers. The matrixcan likewise consist of SiC, Al2O3 ormixtures of Al2O3 and silicon dioxide(SiO2).

During the production process, thefibers are first fixed in place in thecomponent mold. The matrix materialis then added using various tech-

Ceramic matrix composites

2322 Technology + Science

An EJ200 experimental rotor made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.

niques. The material was first used toa wider extent in the automobile indus-try for the CMC brake disks of luxury-class cars.

Brake disks made from CMC materials aremainly used on luxury-class sports cars.

< Inner rings made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic weigh 60 percent less than conventional rings in a titanium alloy.

24 25MTU Global

MTU support for the“flying gas station”

They fly anti-terrorist missions and support humanitarian operations around the globe: The KC-10Extenders operated by the U.S. Air Force can simultaneously carry troops, cargo and fuel. They arepowered by CF6-50 engines, for which MTU Maintenance provides service support. The company is apartner in the U.S. bidding consortium which recently won the contract.

By Bernd Bundschu

After three and a half years of negotiations,the U.S. Department of Defense finally an-nounced on October 1, 2009 that the con-tract to maintain the KC-10 fleet had beenawarded to Northrop Grumman and its part-ners—among them MTU Maintenance. Thecontract has a term of six years (with theoption to extend it by a further three years)and is worth a total of 3.8 billion U.S. dol-lars. “MTU’s share will come to around 500million U.S. dollars over the initial six-yearterm of the contract,” says Christoph Heck,Vice President, Marketing & Sales, TheAmericas. “We will be responsible for main-taining a total of 204 CF6-50 engines, pro-

viding depot maintenance, engineering, fieldservice support and engine condition moni-toring.” The work will be carried out primarilyat MTU Maintenance Canada in Vancouver,though some tasks will also be assigned toMTU Maintenance Hannover.

The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is atanker and cargo aircraft that is deployedworldwide under the direction of the AirMobility Command of the U.S. Air Force. Itcan simultaneously carry cargo, troops andup to 161.5 tons of fuel. The “flying gas sta-tion” can even be refueled in flight, whichmeans that its range is practically unlimited.

The KC-10 is powered by three CF6-50C2engines, which generate 233.31 kilonewtonsof thrust each. Heck continues: “In the pastit was the manufacturers—General Electricand Boeing—who maintained this fleet of air-craft and engines, which are now at least 20years old.” Boeing had taken on responsibilityfor airframe maintenance in 1997 when thecompany acquired its smaller competitorMcDonnell Douglas. “When the new invitationto tender was issued in June 2006, NorthropGrumman decided to enter the race andbegan looking for partners to maintain theCF6-50 engines.”

MTU Maintenance Canada is the NorthAmerican member of the MTU Mainte-nance network of companies, the world’slargest independent provider of commer-cial engine services. The company wasfounded in November 1998 as a joint ven-ture with Canadian Airlines (sinceacquired by Air Canada). MTU Mainte-

Engine maintenance in Canada

26 27MTU Global

For additional information, contactDaniel Watson+1 604 233-5700

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go towww.mtu.de/110Maintenance

Commercial Officer at MTU MaintenanceCanada. “The team was particularly success-ful in ensuring that we leveraged MTU’sextensive engineering and repair capabili-ties. Additionally, our history of deliveringCF6-50 engines for our commercial cus-tomers with world-class performance andon-wing times was highly appreciated by theAir Force.”

The contract award was initially scheduledfor 2008, but the decision was pushed back

MTU has demonstrated superb expertise inmaintaining this engine type, the companyhaving repaired and overhauled a total of1,400 CF6-50 engines at its maintenancelocations in Vancouver and Hannover since1981. To prepare the bid for submission tothe U.S. Air Force a special team was set up,which was composed of employees fromboth Vancouver and Hannover. “That was afantastic example of sales, engineering andproduction teams working together at differ-ent locations,” recalls Daniel Watson, Chief

MTU Maintenance Canada has adopted the flowline concept in its shops.

several times as a result of intensive con-tract reviews. “The reason the contract wasscrutinized so closely is that a number ofU.S. Air Force orders have recently had to becanceled as a result of government audits,”Watson explains. Northrop Grumman and itspartners, which also include Chromalloy andAAR Corporation in the United States, wereultimately awarded the contract to maintainthe KC-10 fleet because they had submittedthe most appealing overall concept. One ofthe promises that Northrop Grumman made

was to set up a special shop in Louisiana tomaintain the KC-10 aircraft.

Induction of the engines is now being super-vised by a cross-location project team. Thework will be split between the Vancouver andHannover locations. All the CF6-50 enginesof the KC-10 tankers are delivered to MTUMaintenance Canada, based in Richmond,near Vancouver, to be stripped and inspect-ed. Once component repair has been carriedout—an activity that is performed in collabo-ration with MTU Maintenance Hannover—assembly and testing are again carried out inCanada. Ralf Schmidt, President and CEO ofMTU Maintenance Canada, expects around40 shop visits a year during the initial con-tract term of six years. According to Schmidt,adherence to the contractually agreed turn-around times will be an important criterionfor an extension of the contract: “The U.S.Air Force has high expectations regardingturnaround times and requires us to continu-ously improve our performance. This will cer-tainly not be easy, but our team is well pre-pared and has the necessary experience torise to the challenge.”

The CF6 is a two-spool turbofan engine formedium- and long-haul wide-body aircraft.MTU has been a partner in this GeneralElectric engine program since 1972, manu-facturing components for the turbine and

compressor. One of the first additions to theCF6 engine family was the CF6-50 for theAirbus A300, Boeing 747 and McDonnellDouglas DC-10/KC-10. The three-engineKC-10 Extender took off for its maiden flighton July 12, 1980. Between March 1981 andApril 1990, McDonnell Douglas delivered atotal of 60 units to the U.S. Air Force. Pres-ently, 59 of them are still in service, with 32

nance Canada became a wholly-owned sub-sidiary of MTU Aero Engines in 2003.

The MTU Maintenance shop is located inRichmond, British Columbia, in close proxim-ity to Vancouver International Airport and em-ploys a staff of around 170 people. This iswhere General Electric CF6-50 and CFMI

CFM56-engines are inspected, repaired,overhauled and tested. The companyrepairs accessories and also offers LRU(Line Replaceable Units) managementservices, arranging for the repair of allunits replaced within the scope of day-to-day flight operations.

A KC-10 during air-to-air refueling.

MTU Maintenance Canada’s facility is located in the vicinity of Vancouver International Airport.

stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in NewJersey and 27 at Travis Air Force Base inCalifornia.

28 29Products + Services

New power for a legendary aircraft

Very few fighter jets have proved as enduring as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Even itsdesigners probably never dreamed that around 500 of these aircraft would still be in service morethan 50 years after the fighter first took to the sky. Back in the early 1960s, MTU Aero Engines beganmanufacturing General Electric’s J79 engine under license. Now the company is doing its bit to keepthe F-4 Phantom II flying well into the next decade, retrieving usable or repairable spare parts fromJ79s ex aircraft parked in the desert.

By Patrick Hoeveler

The F-4 is in service all around the world,and some of these aircraft have notched upa very impressive 10,000 flight hours. How-ever, neither the airframe, nor the J79 enginemanufactured by General Electric were origi-nally designed to fly for so long. There areonly a few suppliers left these days, and themanufacture of new parts has practicallycome to an end. As a result, it is becomingincreasingly difficult to maintain the almostlegendary engine, of which nigh on 17,000units were produced. Phantom operatorshave repeatedly asked GE to resume manu-facturing spare parts, but since productionceased a long time ago, that would involvesignificant relaunch costs. Consequently, a

different solution was required, and wasindeed found—in the desert, or, more pre-cisely, in the U.S. state of Arizona.

The U.S. Armed Forces store their disusedmateriel at Davis-Monthan Air Force Basenear Tucson. The dry climate and hardground make the site an ideal location forthe 309th Aerospace Maintenance andRegeneration Group (AMARG). Hundreds ofPhantom jets are stored there, wingtip towingtip, and the desert base is also home toaround 800 J79 engines, some of which areknown to have flown very few hours sincetheir last overhaul. It therefore seemed anobvious solution to use the best of them for

spare parts. GE set about finding a partnerfor the job, and issued an invitation to ten-der in February 2008. MTU Aero Engineswas ultimately awarded the contract—thanksto the company’s superb overall servicepackage and global market presence.Mutalle Ulucay, who is responsible for J79business development at MTU, says: “We’rea one-stop shop for our customers, offeringeverything, including modifications andrepairs. Our reconditioned parts are as goodas new, and meet or even exceed all thetechnical specifications laid down by theU.S. Air Force.”

Products + Services30 31

For additional information, contactMutalle Ulucay+49 89 1489-9269

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go towww.mtu.de/110J79

It’s a record that looks set to stand fora long time yet: With a total of 5,195aircraft having rolled off the produc-tion line, the McDonnell Douglas F-4Phantom II is no doubt the most suc-cessful fighter jet in the Westernworld. It was built over a period of 21years and was the first fighter to beflown by the U.S. Navy, Air Force andMarine Corps. Its maiden flight tookplace in St. Louis on May 27, 1958.Although a number of air forces havegradually replaced their fleets withmore modern aircraft types, it is esti-mated that around 500 Phantoms arestill in service in six different countries.

The Phantom, a true workhorse

and Repair Support (TIGERS Group).Phantom operators hold regular meetingswith industry to exchange ideas and solveproblems; MTU hosted the most recent ofthese—the TIGERS Provisioning Conference—in October 2009. The project to recover andrecondition J79 spares has been welcomedby all, and South Korea has already receivedthe first parts, including afterburner exhaustducts and rear compressor casings. There’sno need to stop at the J79, either: Other pro-pulsion systems could also be suitable can-didates for similar recovery projects—forexample the T58, which powers various air-craft including the Sea King helicopter. Thereare stocks galore in Arizona’s desert.

President, Maintenance, Assembly and Pro-duction Services at MTU. “By investing just alittle time and effort, we can repair parts at afraction of the cost of an original part.”

There’s certainly no dearth of J79 engine ex-perience in Munich. MTU began manufactur-ing the J79 under license back in 1961 andthe engine ultimately became the company’sbiggest post-World War II program. In total,the plant manufactured 1,135 engines for theStarfighter and Phantom—and maintainsthem to this day. Neumeier continues: “Since1965, we’ve carried out 6,871 repairs.Damaged components can be restored toalmost any depth of repair.” Every recondi-tioned spare part is released to service for atleast one additional cycle of 1,200 operatinghours, after which the next maintenance isdue. And naturally, all reconditioned compo-nents are issued with the standard warrantyfor up to 200 operating hours or one year.

GE remains the legal owner of the parts,which can only be sold on to members of theTechnical Integrated Group for Engineering

That proved the decisive factor. In May 2009,GE and MTU signed an exclusive agreementcovering 228 engines with an estimated salespotential of 100 million euros. An option toextend the contract to 450 turbojets is alsoon the table. Less than two months later, thefirst J79s, bought back from the Pentagon byGE, arrived in Munich after a long journeyfrom the desert. All import and export regu-lations, as set out in the German War Weap-ons Control Act, are being strictly observed.

On receipt of an engine, MTU experts firstconduct a thorough external examination.They then take it apart, clean the individualcomponents and inspect them for cracksbefore making their disposition. “Good partscan be re-used immediately, while those inpoor condition are segregated or repaired,”explains Ulucay. “Jointly with GE, we’vedrawn up a harvesting list for all the partsthat operators have repeatedly requested.Depending on the engine condition anddemand, we’re recovering as many as 1,400out of the total of 6,000 part numbers thatmake up a single J79 engine. Of those, 140

to 150 tend to be parts that require repair.”The process from incoming inspection tomajor inspection takes about four weeks perengine.

GE will place an order for the maintenancework to be undertaken using approved repairprocesses on a case-by-case basis, after

having determined whether the repair isworth the cost and effort. The range of pos-sibilities is enormous. “We can repair cracksin casings using welding techniques, or com-pletely replace struts in the turbine exit caseand restore the blades to their original di-mensions by build-up welding of the bladetips,” says Herbert Neumeier, Senior Vice

Japan still operates a fleet of around 100 Phantom jets.

A Phantom operated by the German Air Force.

The J79 engines from the Arizona desert are dismantled at MTU in Munich. The work is performed on the basisof a harvesting list drawn up jointly with GE.

The containers are carefully opened and the engines removed and inspected.

Today, the largest numbers of theseaircraft are flown by Turkey (around140) and South Korea (125), closelyfollowed by Japan (roughly 100).Although Germany’s Phantoms, whichare currently in service with FighterSquadron 71 “Richthofen”, are likely tobe phased out in 2014, those operat-ed by Greece could well continue fly-ing a little longer. The Phantom alsoappears on the Egyptian Air Force’sinventory of aircraft; as the only oper-ator that is not a member of theTIGERS Group, that country receivesno support from the organization.Ultimately, both South Korea andTurkey would like to keep the “Rhino”—as the F-4 is sometimes affectionatelynicknamed by those who fly in her—inactive service until 2020 and beyond.

Products + Services32 33

A customer almostfrom day one

By Nicole Geffert

“A professional, constructive and reliable partnership” is how André Sinanian, CF34 ProgramDirector at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg, describes his company’s business rela-tionship with Adria Airways. The airline was the first customer to have its CF34 engines main-tained by the Ludwigsfelde-based company after the shop in 2002 became the world’s firstindependent MRO provider to obtain a license from General Electric for the repair and over-haul of the CF34 family of engines. The exclusive deal now inked to also cover the airline’sCF34-8s represents another major boost for the cooperation.

The new fly-by-hour contract for the CF34-8C5 fleet was signed in March this year.Apart from comprehensive maintenanceservices, it also covers on-site support bythe CF34 Mobile Repair Team and the provi-sion of spare engines. “We are currently pro-viding support for the 15 CF34-3s poweringAdria Airways’ Bombardier CRJ200 regionaljets, as well as for the ten CF34-8s for their90-seat CRJ900s,” Sinanian states.

Adria Airways, Slovenia’s national airline, wasfounded as a charter carrier in 1961. In the1980s, it began offering scheduled flightsand became a member of International AirTransport Association (IATA). Today, the com-pany primarily serves scheduled flights tomore than 25 European destinations from

its base in Ljubljana. Its fleet of aircraftnotches up 250 flights a week, and its char-ter flight offerings vary according to seasonand primarily include destinations in theMediterranean area.

The origins of the successful collaborationbetween Adria Airways and MTU date backto the 1990s when the airline placed its firstorder with another MTU affiliate, MTU Main-tenance Hannover. “Adria was the first cus-tomer to send the V2500 engines poweringits A320s to our shop for maintenance,” re-calls Andreas Kalina, Vice President, Market-ing & Sales Europe/Middle East/Africa atMTU Maintenance Hannover. The Slovenianairline was also one of the first to fly theA320. Kalina has been providing support to

Adria Airways from MTU’s Hannover locationfor the last 13 years. “We were pleased whenAdria decided to have its CF34 engines main-tained by MTU Maintenance Berlin-Branden-burg.” The airline was the Ludwigsfeldeshop’s launch customer for the CF34.

The fleet operated by Slovenia’s flag carriernow comprises a total of 12 aircraft: oneAirbus A320, six Bombardier CRJ200, oneCRJ100 and four CRJ900 regional jets. AdriaAirways maintains a number of long-stand-ing partnerships with European airlines, inparticular with the German carrier Lufthansa,and joined the Star Alliance network as aregional member in December 2004. In Jan-uary 2010, Adria transitioned to full StarAlliance membership.

Adria Airways also operates a maintenanceand repair shop of its own. Having obtainedPart-145 approval from the European AviationSafety Agency, the company is now author-ized to maintain its own and other carriers’aircraft. Given Adria Airways many years ofexperience in the field, Canadian aircraftmanufacturer Bombardier Aerospace chosethe airline as the maintenance facility for itsCanadair Regional Jets, and is more than sat-isfied: “According to figures from BombardierAerospace we have logged the highest dis-patch reliability rates for aircraft of theCRJ100/200 series. Bombardier Aerospacehas awarded us its Annual Airline ReliabilityPerformance Award for 2007 and 2008,”says Roman Lasic, V.P. Maintenance andEngineering. “At the Adria Airways Mainte-nance Center we have also successfullyentered the market for maintaining aircraftof the Airbus A320 family, and we are con-stantly supplementing our operations withnew maintenance services and enhancingthem through further training for our aircraftmechanics.” In 2004, Adria was one of thefirst airlines to become IOSA (IATA Oper-ational Safety Audit) registered after it suc-cessfully passed an audit that assessed theairline’s operational management, controlsystems, flight safety, and safety and securityin general.

MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg in Ludwigsfelde provides service support for the entire CF34 family.

For additional information, contactAndré Sinanian+49 3378 824-7235

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go towww.mtu.de/110CF34

Repair of a CF34 engine.

Kalina and Sinanian both agree that cooper-ation with Adria Airways is very constructive:“It has been a pleasure for us working withthe same people for so many years. That isone of the key reasons why we expect thissuccessful partnership to thrive for manyyears to come.”

3534 Report

Roaring through thedesert at 1,000 mph

By Andreas Spaeth

Already a spectacular performer in the skies, the EJ200 engine powering the Eurofighter Typhoonis now set to become one on terra firma as well. Next year, British fighter pilot Andy Green wants toset a new land speed record with his supersonic vehicle Bloodhound SSC, accelerating from 0 to1,000 miles per hour in 40 seconds. And, the car being powered by EJ200 engines, he might just suc-ceed. In Britain, this latest attempt at the land speed record is part of an official mission to inspireyoung people to pursue careers in technology and engineering.

Speed records have always had a specialfascination for the British. “Britain has heldthe record for a quarter of a century,” ex-plains Andy Green. “This country has heldthe World Land Speed Record for longerthan any other country put together, sincethe first record was set in 1898.” A Royal AirForce fighter pilot with decades of experi-ence on missions all over the world, he cur-rently works for the British Ministry ofDefense (MoD). What he doesn’t mention is

that he himself has held the world landspeed record since October 15, 1997.

He broke the record in his ThrustSSC vehiclein the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, achiev-ing an incredible speed of 763 mph and be-coming the first human being to break thesound barrier on the ground. In the long his-tory of land speed records, which has beendominated by British and American drivers,his achievement stands out because he

topped the previous record by a staggering130 mph, or more than 20 percent—the big-gest-ever margin since land speed recordattempts began. But Green is fully awarethat his success won’t last forever; at leastthree teams have been hot on his heels foryears. In his own words: “There’s nothingquite like the promise of losing it—or actuallylosing it—to keep us focused on getting therecord back... and we’re not going to let itgo without a fight!”

3736 Report

parachutes and wheel brakes to slow thevehicle down. By the time it comes to astandstill, the Bloodhound will have covereda whole of ten miles—in just 85 seconds.That’s the theory anyway. In practice, no onehas any idea how the vehicle will behave atspeeds this high. “That’s unknown territory,”says Chapman.

For additional information, contactKlaus Günther+49 89 1489-3308

For further information on this article, go towww.mtu.de/110Bloodhound

Eurojet’s EJ200 is an innovative two-spoolturbofan that powers the EurofighterTyphoon in pairs. “The engine was spe-cially designed with interceptor missionsin mind and reaches its maximum outputat Mach 1.8 and an altitude of 11 kilome-

A powerful engine ters,” says Klaus Günther, EJ200 ProgramDirector at MTU in Munich.

Germany’s leading engine manufacturer sup-plies the low-pressure and high-pressurecompressors for this powerhouse, as well asits electronic control and monitoring unit.“The latter makes the pilot’s job so much

At the moment, Green is fighting a campaignof epic proportions to shake off his pursuersby setting a phenomenal new record. Theattempt is likely to take place next year on astretch of dried-up salt bed in the northwestof South Africa. In a unique vehicle made oftitanium and carbon fiber, Green plans to tophis existing record by more than 31 percent.“The target... is to get as close as possible to1,000 mph, and exceed that figure if wecan,” explains Ron Ayers, a veteran engineerand chief aerodynamicist for the project. Healso coined the name of the project—Blood-hound—after a surface-to-air missile hehelped to develop during the Cold War.

This record hunt is not just one of the usualpastimes of the idle rich; nor will the 11 mil-lion euros needed for it come out of the pettycash of some adventure-seeking billionairelike the late Steve Fossett, who also had hissights set on the world land speed record.This time it is Britain’s Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills along withseveral of the country’s universities that are

putting up the lion’s share of the project’sbudget—the rest has yet to be found. Themission, launched by Minister of State forScience and Innovation Lord Paul Drayson,himself a former race car driver, is clear:“Drayson wanted a new iconic project withparallel school activities to inspire a newgeneration of school population to considerbecoming engineers,” explains project direc-tor Richard Noble, who set his own landspeed record of 633 mph in Nevada in 1983.At the moment, Britain is suffering from asevere shortage of engineering graduates,and the attempt at the record, in conjunctionwith science and technology school projects,is designed to drum up enthusiasm for sci-ence and technology.

Ayers describes the task they have set them-selves as “certainly a formidable challenge”:“When we commenced the Bloodhound SCCproject, it was clear that, if we were to makea really big increase on top of the 763 mph

achieved, something radically different wasneeded.” No one on earth has ever got any-where close to reaching the 1,000 mph mark.Even the official air speed record at low alti-tude (which is no longer competed for) isonly 994 mph. “For that reason we areexploring the potential of jet + rocket combi-nation,” says Ayers. Lord Drayson, thenMinister for Defense Equipment and Sup-port, agreed to support their plans.

Drayson supplied the team with three EJ200engines that had flown in flight testing of theEurofighter Typhoon and didn’t have manyflight hours left, according to Mark Chap-man, Senior Design Engineer at BloodhoundSSC. The necessary thrust could have beenachieved with just two EJ200 engines, butthen the air intake would have been too big.The original concept had called for a twin-rocket configuration, but would not haveallowed sufficient control of the thrust. Youcan only start the rocket cycle with the pushof a button, whereas the engines can becarefully controlled using a throttle pedal,according to the chief engineer.

What Chapman particularly likes about theEJ200 is the fact that all its parameters aremonitored automatically. The EJ200 will ini-tially accelerate the Bloodhound from zero to80 mph; then the afterburners will be acti-vated, kicking in at 130 mph. At 320 mph,Green will ignite the Falcon rocket, its impactbeing felt from around 440 mph onwards.The equivalent of almost 135,000 horsepow-er, or 1,800 compact cars, will catapult thevehicle to its maximum speed of 1,050 mph.That’s about the length of four football pitch-es per second and, depending on the tem-perature, around 1.4 times the speed ofsound. After that it’s up to the airbrakes,

easier,” emphasizes Günther. The EJ200delivers a maximum thrust of 60 kilonew-tons, or 90 kilonewtons reheated. Weigh-ing in at 990 to 1,035 kilograms, the en-gine is light enough for the BloodhoundSSC, which will roll up to the starting linewith a total weight of 6,500 kilograms.

The EJ200 engine, which powers the Eurofighter Typhoon, in a pole position.

Repair of the EJ200 engines is performed at MTU in Munich.

Printed byEBERL PRINT GmbHKirchplatz 687509 Immenstadt • Germany

Contributions credited to authors do not neces-sarily reflect the opinion of the editors. We willnot be held responsible for unsolicited material.Reprinting of contributions is subject to the editors’ approval.

Masthead

EditorMTU Aero Engines GmbHEckhard ZangerSenior Vice President Corporate Communicationsand Investor Relations

Editor in chiefHeidrun MollTel. +49 89 1489-3537Fax +49 89 1489-4303heidrun.moll@mtu.de

Final editorMartina VollmuthTel. +49 89 1489-5333Fax +49 89 1489-8757martina.vollmuth@mtu.de

AddressMTU Aero Engines GmbH Dachauer Straße 66580995 Munich • Germanywww.mtu.de

Editorial staffBernd Bundschu, Denis Dilba, Achim Figgen,Nicole Geffert, Patrick Hoeveler, Odilo Mühling,Andreas Spaeth, Martina Vollmuth, Tobias vonWangenheim

LayoutManfred Deckert Sollnerstraße 73 81479 Munich • Germany

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New contract win for the geared turbofan: Republic Airways has signed a purchaseagreement with Bombardier for 40 CSeries aircraft and has taken out options on up to40 additional jets. The twin-engined airliner is exclusively powered by Pratt & Whitney’sPurePower® PW1000G engine. MTU Aero Engines has a major stake in this innovative,next-generation propulsion system. The overall contract covers more than 160 engines;for Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, it could translate into sales of over 200 mil-lion euros at list price.

MTU Aero Engines has achieved gold status,the highest level in the supplier rating pro-gram of Pratt & Whitney’s parent UnitedTechnologies Corporation (UTC). The UTCSupplier Gold Award is given every year toselect suppliers and partners. The criteriaused to evaluate suppliers include superiorquality and delivery performance, and cus-tomer satisfaction.

MTU Aero Engines benefits from a big con-tract placed by Australian Jetstar Airways.The wholly-owned Qantas Airways subsidiaryhas ordered International Aero Engines (IAE)V2500 engines and concluded a contract forafter-sales services. The total value of thedeal will be around 2.5 billion euros. SinceMTU has a stake of approximately 11 percentin the V2500, its share in the business willamount to some 270 million euros.

Jetstar Airways has selected the V2500 topower a new fleet of 50 additional A320 fam-ily aircraft, and has taken out options onengines for another 40 aircraft. In addition,the airline has concluded an IAE aftermarketservices agreement covering these engines,plus those installed on 44 V2500-poweredA320s from the current fleet.

Gold award for MTU Aero Engines

Jetstar Airwaysbuys V2500

Republic Airways bets on geared turbofan

Photo creditsCover Page:Pages 2–3

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Fiscal 2009: business results fully in line with forecasts

MTU Aero Engines has two new repre-sentation offices: The Shanghai office,which was opened early this year, ismanaged by Melody Liu, whose job itis to coordinate the company’s variousactivities in China.

In Atlanta in the U.S. state of GeorgiaDr. Rainer Fink and his team marketthe full range of maintenance servicesoffered by MTU Maintenance. Atlantawas picked as the location for the newsales office due to its proximity to thehome bases of all airlines, leasingcompanies and other major industryplayers in North and Central America.

New representationoffices in the U.S. and in China

In Brief

Last year was not an easy one for MTU AeroEngines. “The global economic and financialcrisis, coupled with the persistently strongeuro and reviving oil prices, has left its markson our industry,” summed up Egon Behle. Atthe company’s annual press conference heldin late February MTU’s Chief Executive Officerpresented the results for fiscal 2009 and ex-

plained: “I am delighted that MTU achieved asolid performance in 2009, meeting all quan-titative targets. We have laid the foundationsfor a stable development in this year.”

MTU has fully met its business forecasts forthe financial year 2009: The company’s rev-enues amounted to around 2.6 billion euros

and the EBIT adjusted to 292.3 million euros,which is slightly higher than the upwardlyrevised forecast of approximately 290 millioneuros. Net income amounted to 141.0 millioneuros and, at 120.2 million euros, the freecash flow was 20 percent higher than the2009 guidance.

MTU Aero Engines

Revenuesof which OEM business

of which commercial engine businessof which military engine business

of which commercial MRO businessEBIT (calculated on a comparable basis)

of which OEM businessof which commercial MRO business

EBIT margin (calculated on a comparable basis)in the OEM businessin the commercial MRO business

Net income (IFRS)Earnings per share (undiluted)Free cash flowResearch and development expenses

of which company-funded R&Dof which outside-funded R&D

Capital expenditure

Order backlogof which OEM businessof which commercial MRO business

Employees

2009

2,610.81,585.71,053.7

532.01,057.6

292.3229.2

65.311.2 %14.5 %

6.2 %141.0

2.89 €120.2230.2123.0107.2140.3

Dec. 31, 09

4,150.93,965.1

185.87,665

2008

2,724.31,642.91,146.3

496.61,113.0

331.0279.9

54.612.1 %17.0 %

4.9 %179.7

3.64 €123.6181.6101.1

80.5293.7

Dec. 31, 08

4,015.73,884.5

131.47,537

Change

- 4.2 %- 3.5 %- 8.1 %+7.1 %- 5.0 %

- 11.7 %- 18.1 %+19.6 %

- 21.5 %- 20.6 %

- 2.8 %+ 26.8 %+ 21.7 %+ 33.2 %- 52.2 %Change

+ 3.4 %+ 2.1 %

+ 41.4 %+ 1.7 %

MTU Aero Engines – Key financial data 2009 (Figures quoted in € million, calculated on a comparable basis, statements pre-pared in accordance with IFRS. Figures calculated on a comparative basisapply adjustments to the IFRS consolidated results to exclude restructuringand transaction costs, capitalized development costs, and the effects of IFRSpurchase accounting.)

The award presentation took place at MTU inMunich in early March. It was part of a cere-mony witnessed by senior Pratt & WhitneyCanada and MTU officials to celebrate amajor milestone: the delivery of the 5,000thlow-pressure turbine for the PW300 andPW500 series of engines. MTU holds stakesof up to 25 percent in these two programs;the propulsion systems power mid-size tolarge business jets.

MTU CEO Egon Behle (left) and Pratt & WhitneyCanada President John Saabas during the awardpresentation ceremony. A bestseller also in Australia: the V2500 on the wing of an A320 from Jetstar Airways’ fleet.