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MTU Aero Engines Holding AG
Dachauer Straße 665
80995 Munich • Germany
Tel. +49 89 1489-0
Fax +49 89 1489-5500
info@mtu.de
www.mtu.de
On the horizon:
Whispering jets
Customers + Partners Global
A fresh approach from
Down Under
Technology + Science
A diagnostic tool to see
inside blades
Growing business
with accessories
2/2012

Contents
Cover Story
On the horizon: Whispering jets
Customers + Partners
Another step forward
A fresh approach from Down Under
Global bestseller
India – boom despite barriers
Technology + Science
A diagnostic tool to see inside blades
Keeping a close eye on tolerances
Products + Services
Two coats are more durable than one
Successful GE38 PT stress test at
MTU facility
Global
High-tech in the desert
Growing business with accessories
Report
Test passed successfully
In Brief
Masthead
6 – 13
14 – 17
18 – 21
22 – 25
26 – 29
30 – 33
34 – 39
40 – 43
44 – 47
48 – 51
52 – 55
56 – 59
60 – 61
61
More REPORT in digital form
Get the eMagazine and iPad
app for more multimedia features
from www.mtu.de/report.
On the horizon: Whispering jets
Noisy aircraft have a negative impact on the environment, human
health and airline costs. Technologies capable of reducing noise are
high in demand—new engine technologies especially so. Pratt &
Whitney and MTU have the solution: the geared turbofan.
Pages 6 – 13
A fresh approach from Down Under
From modest beginnings, Virgin Australia has worked its way up to
become the second-largest airline in Australia within a decade. MTU
Maintenance Hannover in Langenhagen takes care of the maintenance
of the carrier’s GE90-115B engines powering its Boeing 777-300ER
long-haul aircraft.
Pages 18 – 21
Successful GE38 PT stress test
GE Aviation and MTU are pleased that the GE38 has successfully
completed its power turbine stress test in Munich. The test has special
significance, because it is the first time that a German company
has tested a U.S. military engine on the manufacturer’s behalf.
Pages 44 – 47
A diagnostic tool to see inside blades
Latest-generation turbine blades have an intricate internal structure.
In order to detect variations in these high-tech castings, MTU has
developed a fully automated computed tomography method that
improves the quality assurance process.
Pages 30 – 33
Growing business with accessories
The Sea Island Remote Terminal at Vancouver International Airport
was bustling with activity during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Now MTU
Maintenance has moved into the building, equipped it with the latest
in modern machinery and converted it into an accessory repair shop.
Pages 52 – 55
2 3

Editorial
4 5
Dear Readers:
Two of the world’s most important air shows took place this year—the
Farnborough International Airshow on the outskirts of London, and the ILA
Berlin Air Show on the new exhibition grounds just outside Germany’s capital.
Both exhibitions were exceptionally important for MTU. Through the
stakes we have in engine programs, the orders placed for new engines and
maintenance services at Farnborough have allowed us to rack up the biggest
order volume ever in terms of value in MTU’s history. At the ILA, Germany’s
largest air show, we were one of the top exhibitors and presented ourselves
as a highly successful, innovative and ambitious company.
Once again, the geared turbofan (GTF) was the top crowd-puller, and not at
all surprisingly so. Apart from delivering outstanding efficiency, the GTF
technology offers yet another compelling advantage: it cuts noise levels in
half. Aircraft noise is becoming an issue of increasing concern to the general
public—both to noise-plagued residents living near airports and to the
stakeholders in the industry. It makes me proud and happy to say that,
together with our U.S. partner Pratt & Whitney, we have succeeded in spotting
this trend early on, so that we anticipated the need for “whispering jets”
and, with the GTF, have promptly come up with the answer to this pressing
challenge.
Our innovative ideas also reflect in other products: in the turbine center
frame for the GEnx engine, the first of which has recently been delivered and
will in future be onboard one of Cargolux’s freighters, the GE38 helicopter
engine, for which we are supplying the power turbine and have carried out
stress tests on behalf of the engine manufacturer General Electric for the
first time, and our newly developed repair technique for air seals, to mention
just a few examples of impressive recent developments. Given our strong
track record, I’m firmly convinced that we will achieve our very ambitious
financial goal—that of doubling our revenues to six billion euros annually by
2020.
Read this latest issue of Report to learn more about MTU’s broad range of
capabilities and expertise—it certainly makes for interesting reading.
I hope you will enjoy reading it.
Sincerely yours,
Egon Behle
Chief Executive Officer

Cover Story
On the
horizon:
Whispering
jets
By Denis Dilba
Noisy aircraft not only have a negative impact on the environment
and human health, but increasingly also on airline
costs. Technologies that significantly reduce aircraft noise
and help save hefty noise fees are in high demand, and new
engine technologies especially so. The solution proposed by
Pratt & Whitney and MTU Aero Engines is the geared turbofan.
In addition to its low fuel consumption and low level of
pollutant emissions, this propulsion system also produces
50 percent less noise than today’s engines. Its entry into
service is slated for 2013.
Among the effects of air traffic that people complain
about the most, noise has topped the list
for many years. It is a subject that has often given
rise to some highly emotional public debates, ranking in
importance even above the issue of air pollution. Aircraft
noise is a nuisance, and is increasingly becoming a major
factor driving the costs of airlines and aircraft manufacturers,
because the majority of airports in the world now
penalize operators of noisy aircraft by imposing additional
unit noise charges for take-offs and landings. In simplified
terms, the higher the noise level generated by an aircraft
during take-off or landing, the higher the airport fees. “At
present rates, these charges can account for up to five
percent of an aircraft’s total operating costs,” relates
Paul Traub, who is responsible for aero-acoustic design at
MTU Aero Engines in Munich. Many airport authorities
have banned night flights to protect local residents against
aircraft noise. Exceptions are granted only in special circumstances
(rescue flights or flights operated by couriers)
and for aircraft equipped with low-noise engines.
6 7

Cover Story
The noise issue is exacerbated by the steadily
increasing volume of commercial air traffic
which, if it continues to grow at the current
average rate of around 4.5 percent per year,
will double in the next 15 years. This is why
the combined objective of reducing noise levels
and significantly increasing fuel efficiency
is one of the greatest challenges the aviation
industry is facing. This is nothing new to
the stakeholders. Back in 2000, the European
aviation industry made a voluntary commitment
to cut fuel consumption and noise
emissions in half by 2020. Even if major improvements
have since been achieved, this
doesn’t make things any easier for Traub and
his colleagues. Given that aircraft and their
engines remain in service for several decades,
their designers need to anticipate future
changes in allowable noise limits and develop
solutions to meet the tightened standards
of the future.
While it is true that passenger jet engines are
one of the major sources of noise, especially
during take-off, they are not the only one. The
aircraft itself is also responsible for creating
turbulence on the surfaces of the fuselage,
wings and landing gear, which makes up a
major share of the noise. During the landing
approach, the noise generated by these aero-
Nose and main landing gear
Sources of aircraft noise.
4 5
Noise level (cumulative margin in EPNdB )
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40
B737-200
B747-100
Stage 2
Stage 3
A300
Stage 4
A310 A320 - CFM56
B737-800
A320 -V2500
A340-600
A380
Stage 5
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040
Year of aircraft certification
A320neo - GTF
today’s GTF3
ACARE 2020 target
1 Current estimate of future regulatory noise limit (yet to be officially defined)
2 Existing A320 design with GTF
3 All-new aircraft design with first generation GTF
4 The sum of the differences at all three measurement points between the maximum noise level
according to the aircraft certificate and the maximum noise level according to the regulations.
5 Effective Perceived Noise Level in decibels (unit of measurement of aircraft noise used in aircraft
certification)
Considerable progress made: Aircraft noise has been drastically reduced since 1970. The GTF is yet
another huge step forward.
Fuselage
Engines and nacelles
Wings and tail section
Flaps and control surfaces
1
2
dynamic flows can be greater than that generated
by the engines, which are operating at
a lower speed at this point. Says Traub: “Aircraft
noise is the sum of all the noise produced
by aircraft and engine components.”
Almost every stationary or rotating part causes
pressure variations or turbulent flows, and
hence noise.
“But there’s no doubt that the biggest sources
of noise remain the fan and the exhaust jet,”
says Dr. Dominik Broszat, an expert in aeroacoustics
at MTU. For specialists like him,
there is more than one category of noise. He
makes a distinction between tonal noise components
and broadband noise: “Tonal noise
occurs at discrete frequencies produced by
rotating parts. These are caused, for example,
at the fan or in the turbine and also in the
compressor, where they are generated by
pressure fluctuations between the alternating
rows of rotor blades and stator vanes.”
These tonal noise components play a major
role in noise assessment. Broadband noise,
on the other hand, is perceived as a loud
rushing sound. It arises from the airflow
around the fuselage and wings, and from turbulent
mixing of the hot jet exhaust with the
ambient air.
Not cheap: Almost all airports impose unit noise charges for take-offs and landings.
The fan, compressor, combustion chamber, turbine and exhaust gas jet are all sources of noise in a turbofan engine.
8 9
Fan noise
Compressor noise
Turbine noise
Combustor noise
Fan noise
Jet noise

Cover Story
What is noise?
Noise is loud, unwanted sound. Noise causes
sound waves, that is variations in pressure, to
travel outward from the source through the air.
These waves evoke an auditory sensation in the
human ear—we hear a sound. Because the eardrum,
or tympanic membrane, responds to this
stimulus in much the same way as a sound pressure
receiver, the perceived strength of the
sound is best described in terms of sound pressure.
The higher the pressure of the sound
waves, the louder the perceived sound. The
human ear is an extraordinarily sensitive organ.
It can hear sounds of a wide range of intensities,
which are measured using the logarithmic decibel
(dB) scale, in which audibility grades vary
from barely audible (0 dB) to very loud (130 dB,
pain threshold). Each step of ten decibels represents
a doubling or halving of the perceived
sound intensity.
Some data for comparison: The noise of traffic on
a busy highway typically reaches a level of 80 dB,
a pneumatic drill 100 dB. In the near future, a
passenger aircraft powered by first-generation
GTF engines will produce a level of noise at takeoff
which is comparable to that of a truck travelling
at 80 kph. The extent to which noise is perceived
as a nuisance depends not only on objective
measurements of sound pressure but also
on subjective or psychoacoustic factors such as
loudness, tonality, and duration of exposure.
The unit to measure aircraft noise used by airworthiness
authorities in the certification of aircraft,
EPNdB or effective perceived noise in decibels,
takes all of these factors into account.
Until now, one of the most effective weapons
in the battle against engine noise has been
to maximize the bypass ratio (BPR). In bypass
or turbofan engines, the air flow through
the engine is split into two parts. In the core
flow, the air is further compressed and
enters the combustor, where it is mixed with
fuel and ignited, releasing the energy needed
to power the turbine. Because the turbine is
mounted on the same shaft as the fan at the
engine intake, it drives the fan, causing it to
rotate. This accelerates the bypass flow—the
Firecracker
exploding
nearby
Rockconcert
Turbofan engine
(aircraft taking
off**)
GTF engine
(aircraft taking
off*)
Heavy
road traffic
Quiet
conversation
Whispering
portion of the air ducted around the core
engine which, in a high-BPR engine, provides
the larger part of the thrust. In the 50 years
or so since the turbofan was first introduced,
through successive generations of turbofan
engines up to the present day, the bypass
ratio has increased to a value close to 10:1.
In other words, the mass of air ducted around
the core engine has increased significantly
relative to the core flow. These improvements
have had two beneficial effects: Fuel consumption
was cut and aircraft noise was
dB(A)
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
* approx. 85 dB(A), comparable with a truck (80 kph at a distance of 15 m)
** Entered into service in 2000
Sources of noise and their sound pressure levels.
0
Acute irreversible
damage
Pain threshold
Health risk through
long-term exposure
Communication
impeded
Threshold of audibility
reduced by no less than 75 percent in the
take-off phase.
However, there is a limit to the improvements
that can be achieved through noise reduction
measures with these conventional engine
designs in future. Partly because any further
increase in the bypass ratio will require a
larger turbofan engine, and hence an increase
in engine weight to a point where
economic operation is no longer possible;
and partly because attempts to limit noise by
The engines powering the A320neo will also incorporate geared-turbofan technology.
running the fan at a slower speed would
automatically increase the aerodynamic loads
acting on the low-pressure turbine. This in
turn would result in poorer efficiency or
increased weight.
The next decisive leap forward in noise reduction
technology is expected to come from
the geared turbofan (GTF) engine, which is
scheduled to enter service in 2013. A reduction
gearbox permits the fan and the turbine
to run at their respective optimum speeds.
This puts an end to the tradeoff between fan
and turbine speed requirements, allowing fuel
consumption and emissions to be significantly
reduced. At the same time, the GTF
sets new standards in terms of noise reduction,
thanks to its lower fan speed and a lowpressure
turbine (LPT) that rotates three
times as fast. Because it runs at higher
speeds, the MTU-developed LPT is not only
markedly more efficient but also generates
high-frequency noise that is rapidly attenuated
by atmospheric absorption, and that is
often inaudible to humans. Initial noise tests
on the GTF have confirmed the theoretical
results obtained by the MTU engineers in
their computations and simulations: “The
noise footprint of an aircraft powered by
geared turbofans is 70 percent smaller than
that of the latest generation of turbofans
used to power short-haul and medium-haul
jets,” reports Dr. Klaus-Peter Rüd, Director,
Advanced Product Design at MTU. And that’s
not the end of it. The next GTF generation can
be expected to be even quieter, because bypass
ratios in excess of 10:1 can be achieved
with this technology, enabling the jet noise to
be reduced even further. Already today, the
The noise contour of an aircraft with conventional turbofan engines. The noise contour of an aircraft powered by GTF engines is reduced approximately
70 percent.
10 11

Cover Story
The geared turbofan: a success story
Dr. Rainer Martens, Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Rainer Martens has been Chief Operating Officer at MTU Aero
Engines since 2006. It is under his tenure that a significant part of
the development work took place on the geared turbofan—a product
which has since become well established in the market, with orders
for over 2,500 engines received to date.
Dr. Martens, what was MTU’s formula for this success?
A success like this doesn’t just come out of nowhere, it’s the result
of decades of preparatory work. We carried out the first preliminary
studies into a geared turbofan engine way back in the 1990s, but
chose not to pursue the concept further at the time for lack of a
viable business case. Now, market conditions are different: rising
kerosene prices and more stringent environmental regulations have
spurred the demand for quieter and fuel thriftier engines. It quickly
became clear that there was definitely no way we could deliver the
improvements in specifications demanded by customers simply by
improving existing technologies. We had to take a different approach,
so that’s what MTU did in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney. Our
answer to the challenge was the geared turbofan.
What thrust range is the GTF designed for?
The new engine family covers a thrust range of between 10,000 and
33,000 pounds. What we do is scale the size of the individual components
for them to match the various thrust categories; the new
engine architecture and the turbomachinery assemblies remain the
same.
How do you envisage the future of the GTF?
In the longer term, the technologies used in the GTF—the gearbox,
the small core, the fan with a low pressure ratio, and the high-speed
low-pressure turbine—could form the basis of virtually any engine
architecture, for long-haul aircraft and short- and medium-haul aircraft
alike.
How can the GTF be further optimized in the future?
The geared turbofan still has considerable potential for improvement.
We’re already working on increasing the diameter of the fan and on
optimizing the core engine, and we’re continuing to look into options
of increasing pressures and temperatures inside the engine. Another
focus is on introducing high-strength materials that are even lighter
than those we’re using today.
For the long term, we’re working on an intercooled compressor and a
heat exchanger in the exhaust duct. Our experience with stationary
gas turbines tells us that such configurations offer advantages. But
before this technology can be used on aircraft engines for these
advantages to materialize, there are a few things we still need to optimize.
For instance, we have to work out how to deal with the weight of
the heat exchanger, which is an additional component.
The PW1500G is the exclusive powerplant for the Bombardier
CSeries.
The CSeries powered by the geared turbofan is expected to enter into service late next year.
engine of the future is a great success. MTU
Aero Engines currently holds stakes in four
of Pratt & Whitney’s GTF programs. The
PW1000G has been selected as the exclusive
engine for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet
(MRJ). Bombardier will equip its CSeries, due
to enter service in 2013, with the geared turbofan.
Airbus has chosen the new propulsion
system for its A320neo, as has Irkut for the
MS-21 jet.
Traub, Broszat, and Rüd still have a few tricks
up their sleeves when it comes to eliminating
engine noise. In the so-called cut-off design,
the MTU engineers select blade-to-vane
ratios such that as much of the noise as possible
is prevented from propagating in the
direction of the airflow. “But we always have
to keep an eye on aerodynamic performance,
weight and costs,” says Traub, describing the
challenges of this meticulous work. “For
instance, because rotor blades are very expensive,
we only have limited scope to vary
their number,” explains the engineer. The 3D
configuration of the individual blades also
affects the way they radiate sound. Noise
can be reduced by tilting them slightly in the
radial or axial direction. But obviously, whatever
measures are taken to reduce noise,
they must not result in degraded performance.
“As in almost every other aspect of
engine design, it is a question of finding the
best tradeoff between the various requirements
and design options available,” says
Broszat.
Another noise reduction technique consists
of lining the engine’s flow ducts with thin,
perforated panels with hollow cavities of a
defined depth behind them. These structures,
known as Helmholtz resonators or lambda/4
resonators, filter out disturbing sound frequencies.
They are commonly used in the air
intake system. “The technology is well established
in the cold section of the engine,” says
Broszat. “At present, it is not very widely used
in the hot section, where the exhaust gases
flow, but it is an option that might be worth
pursuing to make engines even quieter.”
MTU’s aero-acoustics expert is keeping a
close eye on every kind of technological development
that might help reduce engine noise.
“If there’s anything that we can use, we will
do so one day,” comments Broszat, for as he
says: “Aircraft with quiet engines are not only
good news for the environment and for people
who live near airports—they also sell better.”
For additional information, contact
Dr. Dominik Broszat
+49 89 1489-6097
For interesting multimedia services
associated with this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
12 13

Customers + Partners
Another step
forward
By Bernd Bundschu
In late May, Boeing delivered a 747-8 freighter to Cargolux. It was the fourth of 13
of this aircraft type the airline has on order, but for MTU it marked a first: The
Luxembourg-based freighter is equipped with GEnx-2B67 engines incorporating the
first turbine center frames (TCFs) to have been produced by MTU Aero Engines. The
TCF is positioned between the high-pressure turbine and low-pressure turbine of this
jet engine and is a highly engineered component. MTU has design responsibility for
this module in the new GEnx program.
Dr. Hans Penningsfeld, Technical Program
Manager, GEnx, says: “The delivery of the
plane to Cargolux marks another important
milestone for MTU and a great success for its entire
GEnx team.” Wolfgang Hiereth, Director, GE Programs
at MTU in Munich, adds: “We are the sole supplier of
turbine center frames for GEnx engines—both for the
Boeing 787 and the 747-8.”
Munich-based MTU is making great strides in record
time: It wasn’t until early 2009 that Germany’s leading
engine manufacturer began to work on the TCF,
which had originally been developed by General
Electric (GE). Following the handover to GE of the
first production module on August 24, 2011, MTU
took on full design responsibility for the TCF. In May
2012—just nine months later—the Cargolux freighter
was handed over, and in September, MTU delivered
the 100th TCF to GE.
The TCF poses a variety of challenges. “For a start, its
function is to direct the extremely hot gases exiting
the high-pressure turbine past structural components
and the oil lines they contain toward the low-pressure
turbine, while keeping aerodynamic losses to an
absolute minimum,” explains Dr. Penningsfeld. “At the
same time, it supports the rear roller bearing for the
high-pressure turbine shaft and directs cooling air to
the high-pressure and low-pressure turbine rotors.”
Its main components are the hub strut case and flowpath
hardware. MTU has set up an innovative production
line for each of these two components.
14 15

Customers + Partners
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat
The GEnx turbine center frame is assembled by MTU Aero Engines in Munich.
Queen of the
freighter fleet
The Boeing 747-8F is the latest freight version of
Boeing’s legendary jumbo jet. The four-engine
freighter’s design is based on that of its predecessor,
the 747-400F, but with a fuselage that is 5.60
meters longer. This new and improved version of the
aircraft boasts the latest in technical equipment as
well as new engines: It is powered exclusively by
GE’s GEnx-2B67, which delivers 299.8 kilonewtons
of thrust.
Despite their greater power, these engines are still
fuel efficient, giving the 747-8F a range of 8,130
kilometers and a maximum payload capacity of
around 140 metric tons—which is 20 tons more than
that of the 747-400F. The 747-8F’s additional volume
of 120 cubic meters provides 16 percent more
revenue cargo volume than its predecessor and
offers space for seven additional standard pallets.
The aircraft is loaded through both a nose door and
a large side door.
The first 747-8F rolled out of the factory on
November 12, 2009 and completed its first flight on
February 8, 2010 in Everett, Washington. The aircraft
received certification from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) on August 19, 2011.
The Boeing 747-8F is Boeing’s latest freighter variant.
There are currently 70 Boeing 747-8Fs on order, and
16 aircraft have been delivered. The first 747-8F
was handed over to the Luxembourg-based freight
airline Cargolux on October 12, 2011.
Three turbine center frames are produced in Munich every week.
These new production and assembly concepts ensure the
highest levels of efficiency, process stability and component
quality, and keep turnaround times short. Josef Moosheimer,
Senior Manager, Program Coordination, GE Programs, says:
“There’s always a learning curve to climb when you launch a
new program, but in this case we got through it quicker than
expected.” This year, MTU will turn out an average of three
TCFs each week. Once production is fully up and running, MTU
plans to manufacture close to 300 units per year to meet the
demand; for the GEnx is likely to become a real best-selling
engine. There are currently around 1,400 units on order, with
the total market estimated at some 4,400 engines.
The new GEnx-2B67 engines help the Boeing 747-8F achieve
double-digit percentage improvements in fuel consumption
over the 747-400F and substantially reduce emissions and
operating costs. “Compared to its predecessor, GE’s CF6, the
overall pressure ratio has increased from 35:1 to 43:1 and
the bypass ratio from 5.1:1 to 8.6:1,” says Dr. Penningsfeld.
Optimizing the turbine center frame has also helped boost
efficiency. “And pilots are full of praise for the engine,” Hiereth
is proud to report.
On June 14, 2012 the overall GEnx program entered a new
phase when the Federal Aviation Authority approved the first
Performance Improvement Package (PIP). “We’re currently
working on further upgrades and introducing them is our next
major milestone,” says program coordinator Sabine Ludwig,
who has already begun to make the necessary preparations
for maintenance. In her mind, the objective is clear: “We want
to keep up MTU’s excellent performance in the program for
the long term.”
For additional information, contact
Wolfgang Hiereth
+49 89 1489-3501
16 17

Customers + Partners
A fresh
approach from
Down Under
By Achim Figgen
From modest beginnings, Virgin Australia has worked its way up to
become the second-largest airline in Australia within a decade.
Whereas initially it only flew domestic routes in true low-cost style,
today Virgin Australia operates intercontinental flights as well. The
GE90-115B engines that power its Boeing 777-300ER long-haul aircraft
are repaired and overhauled by MTU Maintenance Hannover.
The young airline has grown into a serious competitor for Qantas.
The success story began in late 1999 when the Virgin Group
founded by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson announced
its plans to launch an airline in Australia. All previous attempts
at running a successful carrier Down Under had failed,
and so the beginnings of Virgin Blue were fairly low key. With just
two Boeing 737s and 200 employees, the new airline began plying
the route between its home base in Brisbane and the bright lights
of Sydney in late August 2000. In the months that followed, its
fleet and route network grew at such a rapid pace, that Virgin Blue
was celebrating its millionth passenger as early as June 2001.
Things really took off when the veteran Ansett Australia airline
ceased operations in September 2001. Virgin Blue was able to fill
this vacuum and take advantage of the growth opportunities that
suddenly presented themselves in the form of available slots at
Australian airports, where capacity used to be notoriously tight.
In 2004, the airline spread its wings beyond Australia’s shores,
with its New Zealand-based subsidiary Pacific Blue offering flights
on popular tourist routes between Australia, New Zealand and
various Pacific islands. A year later Polynesian Blue was founded
in a joint venture with the government of Samoa.
18 19

Customers + Partners
While Virgin Blue started out as a low-cost carrier—with a uniform
fleet, point-to-point services only, —it wasn’t long before it took a
fresh approach to air travel: In 2002 it started offering connecting
flights; a frequent flyer program was introduced in 2005; it abandoned
its strategy of operating a Boeing-only fleet in 2006 and
ordered Embraer170 and190 aircraft; lounge access was introduced.
When plans were announced in 2007 to create a new airline for longhaul
routes, it was clear that the Australians had their sights set high.
February 2009 saw the first flight of V Australia—as the new airline
was named—when a Boeing 777-300ER destined for Los Angeles took
off from Sydney.
The fleet now includes five A330-200 aircraft for Australian transcontinental
routes, and partner carrier SkyWest Airlines operates ATR 72
aircraft on regional routes. Thanks to a series of alliances and collaborations
with established airlines such as Air New Zealand, Delta Air
Lines, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines, the route network has
recently been significantly expanded. The decision to incorporate
Australia in its name was a logical next step, and so in 2011 Virgin
Blue, V Australia and Pacific Blue were folded into the Virgin Australia
Airline brand. Polynesian Blue was renamed Virgin Samoa.
The long-haul services division, operating routes between Sydney and
Abu Dhabi and between Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne and Los
Angeles, has remained a legally independent entity called “Virgin
Australia International”, as Virgin Australia International Fleet Engineer
John Weber explains. The team of seven engineers is responsible for
all Boeing 777 maintenance and overhaul work. As they are unable to
cope with the entire workload themselves, it was good news when in
late 2010 MTU Maintenance Hannover obtained the license to maintain
GE90-110B1 and -115B engines. In late summer 2011, Virgin
Australia International—jointly with Air New Zealand—awarded the
Germany-based engine specialists a twelve-year contract to maintain
the engines for the 777-300ER. The first GE90-115B arrived in
Hannover in August 2011 and was returned the following February.
To date MTU Maintenance has overhauled four of these large engines,
including two under contract from Virgin Australia International.
Experience has shown that the first maintenance jobs always take a
little bit longer, and yet the engines were always ready on schedule,
as Weber confirms. In fact, expectations regarding turnaround time
were already exceeded with the fourth GE90, according to Tobias
Wensky from MTU Maintenance Hannover. Wensky attributes this
achievement due to the fact that the GE90 design is similar to that of
the CF6 and CFM56 engines—with which MTU Maintenance has
extensive history and detailed experience—and the highly motivated
workforce at MTU Maintenance Hannover. Wim van Beers, Director,
Sales Asia/Pacific Rim in Hannover, identifies another advantage that
MTU offers: As an OEM-independent service provider, MTU can provide
customer service to meet individual needs, from one-stop service
solutions to maintenance programs built around the specific requirements
of an airline. Van Beers also highlights that MTU’s experience
in engine construction has given them the expertise to develop
its own repair procedures.
Whereas the timetable for scheduled engine maintenance is generally
planned several months in advance, shop visits call for flexibility.
Ready for the heavyweight: The test cell at MTU Maintenance Hannover
is being approved for certified GE90 test runs.
Air New Zealand sends its GE90-115B engines to MTU Maintenance for
maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Oliver Skop, who at MTU Maintenance is responsible for providing
customer support to Virgin Australia International, Air New Zealand
and other carriers, says the cooperation with the Australian airline is
excellent: “Virgin always notifies us promptly.” Skop also explains
that MTU undertakes trend monitoring on the engines under its care
and regularly evaluates their performance data and various engine
parameters. “So we are aware early of any potential problems that may
arise.”
Holger Sindemann, Managing Director & Senior Vice President, MTU
Maintenance Hannover, is very pleased to have Virgin Australia
International as a customer: “The airline is a major player in the region.
I’m proud that we were able to secure them as a customer with our
maintenance expertise and the high level of quality we deliver.” The
GE90 is an important driver of growth for the Hannover shop, and the
company goes the extra mile to keep it that way: Once the overhaul
has been completed, the engines are currently sent to Emirates in
Dubai for final testing—a temporary solution that will come to an end
soon, as the test facility in Hannover is presently undergoing acceptance
to perform GE90 test runs.
For additional information, contact
Wim van Beers
+49 511 7806-2390
For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
20 21

Customers + Partners
Global
bestseller
By Patrick Hoeveler
Almost 30 years after the IAE consortium was founded, the
V2500—with its various upgrades and improvements—remains a
real bestseller. The engine powers the Airbus A320 family and the
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and has clocked up over100 million flight
hours in service with airlines based in 70 countries. It is set to
remain one of the most important engine programs for many years
to come.
Back in the 1980s, when IAE International Aero Engines AG
was founded, the idea of bringing together five shareholders
from three continents to jointly develop and build a new aircraft
engine met with a great deal of skepticism. How could such
an undertaking possibly succeed, especially given that the new
engine would be competing against a well-established rival, the
CFM56? A glance at the recent statistics confirms the wisdom of
the decision taken almost thirty years ago: To date, more than
5,000 IAE V2500 engines have been delivered, 2,000 are on firm
order. And yet, shortly before the engine’s first run in December
1985, the partners—Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, MTU Aero
Engines, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation (JAEC, composed of
Ishikawajima-Harima, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)
and FiatAVIO (who switched later to a supplier role)—had optimistically
estimated future sales of the engine at a mere 3,500
units.
Just under four years later, the newcomer entered into revenue
service, powering aircraft for Adria Airways, Cyprus Airways and
Indian Airlines. More customers from all around the world soon
followed, from China to the U.S. to New Zealand. In 1998, Lufthansa
took delivery of the thousandth V2500. Increasing sales
successes saw the milestones begin to pile up; for example, IAE
delivered V2500 number 2,000 in 2002 and number 5,000 followed
early this year. Today the V2500 is in service with approximately
190 customers from 70 countries, and there is no end to
the success story in sight: “Long-term prospects we think are
extremely bright,” said David Hess, President of Pratt & Whitney
and new IAE Chairman of the Board of Directors, at this year’s
Farnborough Airshow.
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Customers + Partners
190 customers from 70 countries operate V2500 engines.
The V2500 also continues to be the most important engine
program for MTU, which is responsible for the engine’s lowpressure
turbine. “Production will be running at a peak over
the next two years,” confirms Leo Müllenholz, Director, IAE
Programs at MTU in Munich. The engine remains a big hit with
customers: “We get very good feedback from operators about
its excellent reliability and its fuel consumption, which is lower
than its rival engine’s fuel burn.” Thanks to these advantages,
airlines and leasing companies are continuing to opt for the
V2500, whose production rate of almost two engines per
working day has reached its highest-ever levels since the program
began.
Brazilian airline TAM has its V2500 engines maintained by MTU Maintenance.
At MTU, production is due to be raised from 470 turbine modules
this year to around 530 starting from 2013. The German
company’s revenue will also go up sharply as a result of Pratt
& Whitney’s purchase of Rolls-Royce’s program share in IAE:
“Rolls-Royce’s exit from the IAE consortium gave us the
opportunity to increase our share in the program from 11 to
16 percent.” This move has resulted in MTU taking on responsibility
for more than 500 accessory parts. Over the coming
25 years, the company is anticipating additional revenue of
three to four billion euros. “Furthermore, the V2500 is very
important for its successor program, the PW1100G-JM geared
turbofan engine (GTF), in which MTU also has a share,” says
Müllenholz. “A lot of customers want to purchase both the
V2500 and the GTF.” Müllenholz estimates that the V2500
will continue to be manufactured for the Airbus A320 family
through the end of the decade, by which time more than
7,000 of the propulsion systems will have been delivered
worldwide. In the military sector, moreover, V2500-E5 production
for the Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft will continue
for many years to come.
On top of this, the V2500 is also a mainstay of MTU’s maintenance
business. “At almost all MTU Maintenance locations it
accounts for around 60 percent of revenue,” explains Andrea
Lübke, Director, Engine Programs at MTU Maintenance. “The
program will be our main driver of growth over the next ten
years.” Around 250 engines undergo maintenance every year.
“Thanks to our wealth of experience, we can cater to the specific
needs of our customers and define the optimum scope
of work required for each individual engine.” In July of this
year the maintenance shop in Hannover received its 3,000th
V2500. With the bestseller to remain a fixture across the
globe for many years to come, it comes as scant surprise that
the IAE shareholders have extended their cooperation up to
2045.
For additional information, contact
Leo Müllenholz
+49 89 1489-3173
For interesting multimedia services associated with
this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
SelectTwo : the
latest V2500
configuration
Improvements to the bestseller have come
hot on each other’s heels: With the
SelectOne configuration, which entered
service in 2008, fuel consumption was
reduced by roughly one percent compared
to the original V2500. The partners chalked
up sale number 1,000 of this new version
less than three years later. By then work was
already underway on SelectTwo, which contains
a software upgrade for the electronic
engine control system in order to reduce
speeds when taxiing and during landing
approaches. This allows consumption to be
brought down roughly by a further 0.5 percent.
This figure may not seem significant at
first glance, but for an A320 fleet flying
2,300 flights a year, the upgrade equates to
savings of 4.3 million dollars over ten years
for the airline.
With the latest V2500 SelectTwo configuration
due to enter into service next year,
engineers are working flat out on approval
tests. For example, water ingestion tests
were conducted at MTU in Munich. Here
engineers demonstrated, by spraying water
into the compressor on the test rig, that the
engine works perfectly even in heavy rain
conditions. At the same time, the IAE members
are planning further improvements that
can be retrofitted to the existing fleet and
which are designed to reduce operating costs
even further.
A winning combination for decades: the A320 and the V2500.
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Customers + Partners
India – boom despite
barriers
By Andreas Spaeth
The aviation market in India is one of the most promising in the world in terms of growth potential. Its
domestic airlines currently carry a total of around 60 million passengers per year—a figure that represents
only six percent of the population—but in the long term the size of the market could increase to
800 million Indian air travelers. The chief factors inhibiting the subcontinent’s development are bureaucracy
and inefficiency. In the aviation sector, low-cost carrier IndiGo is the only profitable Indian airline;
it moreover is now one of MTU’s major customers.
The Indian subcontinent is a booming economy with a population of one
billion people. Its steadily growing middle class represents a purchasing
power that has incited many foreign companies to join in the rush
for a stake in the market. But the national passenger airlines have been unable
to keep pace with these developments. In February 2012, India recorded
domestic air traffic growth of over 12 percent—the second-highest rate in the
world after Brazil. As a result, the six large Indian domestic airlines were able
to fill over 75 percent of their seats. These statistics are indicative of India’s
huge potential in the aviation sector. Whereas, in statistical terms, the average
U.S. citizen takes 1.8 flights each year, the corresponding figure for India
is merely 0.1 flights per year; or, seen from a different angle, on average each
Indian citizen flies only once every ten years. “If Indians would fly only a third
as much as Americans do per capita, that would be an air travel market of
700 to 800 million passengers per annum, rivaling that of the U.S.,” comments
IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer Tony Tyler.
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Customers + Partners
Eleven million people live in the metropolis of Delhi alone.
The present market situation is less encouraging: In the financial year
2011/12, India’s domestic airlines together generated losses of around
2.5 billion U.S. dollars; they are moreover burdened by debts totaling
20 billion U.S. dollars. The national flag carrier Air India is in a particularly
precarious position, and owes no less than 3.6 billion U.S. dollars
to its creditors. Only recently, the Indian government had to step
in to save Air India from bankruptcy by granting another 5.8 billion
U.S. dollars in government aid to cover the airline’s costs through to
2020. Thanks to these subsidies, the state-owned airline is able to
offer cut-price ticket rates that oblige its competitors to similarly
reduce their fares, reducing profit margins to zero. “The current average
ticket price in India is 95 U.S. dollars. To break even, 106 U.S.
dollars would be necessary on average,” says Boeing India President
Dinesh Keskar. Privately owned Kingfisher Airlines is also on the verge
of bankruptcy. In six years of operation, the company has not generated
a single cent in profit and was recently forced to radically reduce
its route network.
India’s aviation industry has huge potential for growth.
Many of the present problems can only be solved by the Indian government,
for instance by reducing the extremely high levels of taxation
that add to operators’ costs: over eight percent on aviation fuel
and often up to 30 percent in local taxes levied on domestic flights by
the various federal states. The situation could also be improved by
lifting the ban on foreign direct investments in Indian airlines. Another
serious obstacle to progress is the poor infrastructure. Nearly all of
the country’s major airports suffer from capacity problems and have
limited aircraft parking space. Delhi is the only major hub to have undergone
expansion so far. And the lack of airports in many of the highly
populated urban regions is an obstacle to the expansion of the
domestic air network and deprives a large part of the Indian population
of access to air travel. Despite the liberalization of the Indian aviation
sector in 2005, which briefly revived the market and led to a
massive increase in aircraft orders and the creation of new air carriers,
the results show that the business models pursued by the majority
of airlines are ineffective in this operating environment. The only
exception is low-cost carrier IndiGo.
“India has not been able to develop its economy at the same rate as
China because of its poorly developed infrastructure and bureaucratic
hurdles,” says Klaus Müller, Senior Vice President, Corporate
Development at MTU Aero Engines in Munich. “Whereas in China, we
were able to establish a presence in Zhuhai more than ten years ago,
it will be at least another five years before MTU is ready to invest in
India. But all the same, MTU sees the outlook for India as very
strong,” he confirms, referring in particular to the availability of a
highly skilled Indian workforce.
For additional information, contact
Dr. Anton Binder
+49 89 1489-2884
For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
The Indian exception
In August 2006, an Airbus A320 operated by the privately
owned low-cost Indian airline IndiGo took off for the first
time. Since the airline was launched with the support of U.S.
investors, it has developed into one of the fastest-growing
budget carriers in the world and the only profitable domestic
airline in India.
The airline’s present fleet of 60 Airbus A320s equipped with
V2500 engines, for which MTU supplies the low-pressure
turbines, carries over twelve million passengers each year.
Between now and 2015, another 65 A320 aircraft are scheduled
to join the fleet. 30 of them were purchased in 2011 as
part of one of the largest orders ever to be placed in aviation
history, when IndiGo signed a contract with Airbus for 150
A320neo aircraft. At the Farnborough International Airshow
in July 2012, IndiGo placed firm orders for 300 PurePower ®
PW1100G-JM engines, plus additional options, to power the
A320neo jets. MTU supplies the high-speed low-pressure
turbine for these geared turbofan engines, as well as half of
the high-pressure compressor. The IndiGo order thus also
represents one of the largest-ever in the engine manufacturers’
annals.
“With this choice of engine, IndiGo hopes to gain a competitive
advantage from the outset,” says Klaus Müller, Senior
Vice President, Corporate Development at MTU Aero Engines.
Dr. Anton Binder, Executive Vice President, Commercial Programs,
adds: “The economic aspect played a major role in this
decision, as for instance a reduction of around 15 percent in
fuel burn compared with the V2500.” Aditya Ghosh, President
of IndiGo Airlines, confirms this rationale: “As a result
IndiGo also operates conventional A320s.
IndiGo has ordered 150 A320neo aircraft powered by geared
turbofan engines.
of the lower engine operating cost, we are confident that we
can maintain our competitive low fares while simultaneously
offering our customers the most environmentally friendly
way to fly.” IndiGo currently flies to 32 destinations in India,
operates six international routes, and is rapidly growing to
become India’s leading airline. In June 2012, it held 26 percent
of the market, only slightly behind Jet Airways (27.4
percent).
“IndiGo is very strongly positioned in the market,” comments
Müller, citing the one-type fleet and strict adherence to the
low-cost model as the main reasons for its success. Or in
the words of Aditya Ghosh: “Our only big objective is to prove
that low cost is not low quality.”
29

Technology + Science
A diagnostic
tool to see
inside blades
By Denis Dilba
Latest-generation turbine blades have an intricate internal structure
made up of countless very fine cooling ducts and cooling
air holes. This complexity pushes conventional inspection technology
beyond its limits. In order to reliably detect variations in
these high-tech castings, MTU Aero Engines has developed a
fully automated computed tomography method that significantly
improves the quality assurance process and helps save
costs.
It all started with an engine component that was particularly
hard to inspect, recalls Stefan Neuhäusler,
an expert in digital radioscopy and X-ray inspection
at MTU in Munich who came up with the idea of changing
over to a new inspection technique. The component
exhibited flaws that were extremely difficult to detect
and locate using the test equipment available at the
time. To get to grips with the problem, they had to resort
to the conventional time-consuming and costly method
of cutting up the component, taking a good look inside,
and optimizing the manufacturing process on the basis
of their findings. “There’s got to be a faster and simpler
way to do this,” thought Neuhäusler, and had tests performed
to see if it was possible to recognize the defective
area using a computed tomography (CT) scanner.
His intuitive idea was spot-on: “We were able to precisely
locate the defect with the aid of the three-dimensional
CT images.” That was seven years ago.
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Technology + Science
It took five years from the launch of the flaw
detection technology project to reach the
point where the process was sufficiently stable
to be used in MTU’s standard production
processes and turbine blade inspection
times could be cut. “We knew immediately
that we were onto something that had the
potential for use in inspection on the shop
floor,” says Neuhäusler. But after having
solved the original problem and given that
production engineering was able to detect all
other defects using the conventional meth-
CT scan of a reconstructed airfoil segment from a
GP7000 low-pressure turbine blade.
ods, Neuhäusler and his colleagues were initially
unable to justify the relatively high costs
of the new technology, despite its ability to
deliver exceptionally precise results. It wasn’t
until the company started producing the complex
blades for the high-pressure turbine
(HPT) of the GP7000 engine powering the
Airbus A380 that the CT-based method found
its way into production. “For the first time,
standard technologies were inadequate for us
to be able to properly assess the parts in full
detail.” reports the MTU expert. “The reason
was that the design was too complex for us
to be able to recognize and evaluate defects
in turbine blades on two-dimensional X-ray
images alone.”
Unlike other HPT blades, those used in the
GP7000 engine have a more swept design,
to optimize their aerodynamic efficiency, and
a more complex internal structure with a far
greater number of cooling ducts and laserdrilled
cooling air holes. Neuhäusler explains:
“For example, it can sometimes happen that
the laser penetrates too far into the material.
This is acceptable, but only down to a certain
depth and on condition that a certain minimum
wall thickness is maintained.” Otherwise
this phenomenon, known as “backwall
overshot” in technical parlance, has the same
effect as a notch and can reduce the service
life of the blade.
CT cross-section of a GP7000 low-pressure turbine blade. Inspection for casting core residues, wall
thickness measurement, inspection for pores.
The CT scanner reproduces the internal structures
of the blade as two-dimensional crosssectional
images, hundreds of which are created
and then used to visualize and analyze
the overshots. The digital image data is sent
to a cluster computer that reconstructs the
slices into a 3D image. This is similar to image
processing techniques employed in hospitals.
But whereas in a medical CT scanner the X-ray
source and X-ray detectors rotate around the
patient, in this industrial application the
object under examination, in this case the
HPT blade, is rotated in the X-ray path between
the tube and the detector. Because
nickel-based alloys have a higher density than
the human body, which consists mostly of
water, the industrial CT scanner also requires
harder X-ray beams. “The majority of medical
imaging applications employ soft X-rays and
an exposure time of just a few milliseconds,
whereas our CT system requires a hardened
X-ray beam and an exposure time of around
600 milliseconds per image,” explains
Christof Piede-Weber, who helped mature
the new CT scanner from a functional prototype
into a production system. It was built in
collaboration with one of the world-market
leaders in industrial X-ray technology, and is
housed in a lead-shielded enclosure. Says
Piede-Weber: “Apart from the blades, nothing
can get in and nothing can get out.”
The CT system allows images to be obtained
with a high resolution, which permit safe inspection
of the specified characteristics. “The
outstanding feature of this solution—and the
real challenge in terms of know-how, is its
speed, which is achieved by a high degree of
automation. These, basically, are the factors
that make it so cost-effective,” says the
expert. And this is how the system works in
the production environment: The HPT blades
are delivered to the inspection station on a
transport system, and a robot then transfers
them to the radiation-shielded test chamber.
The CT scanner produces close to 1,000
images and processes them to create a 3D
reconstruction of the component’s geometry,
which is then analyzed for nonconformities
entirely automatically. Then, the blades are
sorted into separate containers depending
on the inspection results. “Because there is
no need for manual intervention, we have
been able to significantly speed up the process,”
says Dr. Bertram Kopperger, Senior
Manager, Manufacturing and MRO Technologies
at MTU. “In the past 18 months, we have
cut the average time required to inspect each
blade in half.”
Inspection of coil locations after thermal shock testing.
To enable the system to automatically detect
flaws in a blade, Neuhäusler, Piede-Weber and
their inspection department colleagues first
had to teach the image-processing software
to recognize deviations. To do this, they
“trained” the system using HPT blades exhibiting
defined artificial defects. Kopperger:
“With the CT system, we apply a conservative
approach to ensure maximum reliability.” If
there is even the slightest doubt, suspected
nonconforming blades will always be rejected
as scrap first and then re-inspected one by
one. “The non-destructive CT-based process
not only benefits the GP7000 program but
will also help reduce time and costs in other
programs, for instance, the MTR390 for the
Eurocopter Tiger and smaller engines for re-
gional jets,” adds Kopperger. LPT blades and
electronic components, too, are inspected
by means of CT scans, to verify that the production
processes are capable of turning out
parts that comply with the requirements.
“The new inspection technology constitutes
a unique selling proposition that places MTU
in an excellent position for the future.”
Another area in which Kopperger envisages
applications for the CT scanning technology is
the inspection of components produced using
additive manufacturing processes.
For additional information, contact
Stefan Neuhäusler
+49 89 1489-6620
32 33

Technology + Science
Keeping a
close eye on
tolerances
By Daniel Hautmann
The development of aircraft engines and their components is an increasingly
complex task, and the time available for the job is constantly
getting shorter. To ensure that its new products are innovative and
always meet the latest requirements, MTU Aero Engines has for many
years been cooperating with university professors, research scientists,
and engineering students in dedicated centers of competence. The
Tolerant Airfoils technology development project, which is about to be
concluded, is a textbook example of this successful approach to cooperation
between industry, science, and academe.
The Tolerant Airfoils project was launched in 2009 and is one
of the most ambitious but also one of the most promising
technology development projects currently being pursued by
Germany’s leading engine manufacturer. Its aim is to optimize the
costs and functionality of MTU’s next-generation high-pressure compressors,
with special emphasis on analyzing solutions geared towards
bringing down the costs of blisk manufacturing. A blisk—the acronym
stands for “blade-integrated disk”—is a high-tech component that is
manufactured in one piece and increasingly used in advanced engine
compressors. Heading up the project is Dr. Gerhard Kahl, who is
responsible for coordinating all compressor technology projects at
MTU. He works in close collaboration with the Center of Competence
“Compressors”, which has been established at the Institute of Jet
Propulsion and Turbomachinery (IST) and the Laboratory of Machine
Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University.
“Blisks are highly engineered, integral components, usually made of
a titanium alloy,” explains Kahl. They are the technology of the future,
because they are key to building lighter, more fuel-efficient engines.
Blisks can already be found in an increasing number of engine types,
including the engines selected to power the new Airbus A320neo.
MTU is a specialist in the design and manufacture of these components,
and is ramping up its production capacity. The current output
rate of around 500 blisks a year will be increased to several thousand
units before long. To meet the demand, MTU is currently building a
new shop in Munich, where all of the company’s blisk manufacturing
activities will be accommodated.
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Technology + Science
Measurement section of the IST’s linear cascade wind tunnel, partially instrumented with pressure sensors.
Each blisk has up to 100 individual blades, which are milled from the
solid. Small wonder that these parts are very costly. “The manufacturing
teams cannot afford to produce anything less than zero scrap,”
says Prof. Peter Jeschke of the IST, who bears a large part of the
responsibility for the Tolerant Airfoils project. “There are two things
to do: We have to develop more robust blades and at the same time
adapt the manufacturing specifications.” In the end it is a question of
manufacturing tolerances. “We study the aerodynamics and structural
mechanics to determine where tolerances must be strictly observed
and where it might be possible to relax them. We identify the crucial
points in collaboration with MTU.” Dr. Rainer Walther, Senior Manager,
Technology Networks at MTU in Munich, sums up the essence of this
challenge: “The basic objective is to reconcile costs and technical
requirements.”
Tolerance is an all-essential issue, regardless of which phase the project
is in—be it development, manufacturing or maintenance—, because
avoidable costs are incurred if there is a disparity between the work
that needs to be put in and the benefit that results. Kahl cites an
example: “If I have to spend a huge amount of money to produce a
blade with a specially shaped trailing edge that only improves efficiency
by less than a tenth of a percent, I have gained nothing overall.”
There must be a better way, decided the steering committee that represents
all partners in the Center of Competence “Compressors”,
which consequently launched the Tolerant Airfoils technology project
and obtained government funding under Germany’s aeronautical
research program.
Frank von Czerniewicz, Project Manager, Compressor Technologies at
MTU in Munich, describes the different phases of the project. The
process starts with the definition phase, in which the engine’s performance
characteristics are defined. These include thrust, weight,
fuel consumption, operating temperatures, and pressure ratios. “This
data is used to put together the basic design, which is then broken
down into the individual modules.” In the conceptual design phase,
the engineers produce a general arrangement drawing from the
Settling chamber Test section Exhaust
CAD view of a linear cascade wind tunnel.
Centers of
competence
MTU Aero Engines has six centers of competence
(CoCs) in Germany, five based at
universities and one at the German Aerospace
Center (DLR). The work of these CoCs
is coordinated by Dr. Rainer Walther, MTU’s
Senior Manager, Technology Networks. The
centers provide a research platform that enables
some of Germany’s leading scientists
and engineers to work together with industry
partners on the development of new technologies.
This collaborative approach to research
offers two-way benefits: The universities
have access to the latest information
on interesting current engine design challenges,
and MTU in turn benefits from the
scientific rigor of an academic research
environment. Moreover, MTU gains access
to IT resources, design tools, measuring
instruments, and test facilities that enable
the company to conduct tests and experiments
that its own research and development
departments are generally too busy to
be able to devote much time to. And for the
young engineering students who work
alongside the experts in these centers of
competence, it is a golden opportunity to
complete scientific post-graduate studies
(PhD) with a strong practical focus.
Each of the centers specializes in a core
area of engine technology: The CoC at
RWTH Aachen University conducts research
on compressors, the CoC at the University
of Stuttgart focuses on turbines, the CoC at
the Bundeswehr University in Munich is
dedicated to the More Electric Engine, the
CoC at Munich Technical University deals
with construction and production, while the
CoC hosted by Leibniz University Hannover
and Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. concentrates
on maintenance, repair and overhaul
(MRO). And finally these areas of technology
all come together in the CoC Engine
2020 plus, which is run by MTU in partnership
with the German Aerospace Center
(DLR) in Cologne.
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Technology + Science
The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen.
design documents which, as von Czerniewicz explains,
“shows the number of stages in each module and provides
a relatively accurate estimate of the weight and
dimensions of each component. Then it is the turn of the
airfoil designers to define the desired nominal shape of
the blades.” In the subsequent design phase, the details
of the components are established and the permissible
tolerances defined. The drawings produced in the conceptual
design phase represent the theoretical ideal,
which cannot be achieved in practice. “This is where the
manufacturing specialists come in, to tell us what is possible
using the available production techniques.”
Jeschke describes the work required to design the perfect
blade: “We take a blade that has been manufactured
to the exact specifications of the CAD model and test it
in a cascade wind tunnel. Then we manufacture more
blades with defined deviations from the specified dimensions,
and repeat the same tests. In this way, we can precisely
analyze the effect of these deviations on the blades’
aerodynamic performance, and pinpoint the areas of the
blade where it is particularly important to adhere strictly
to the specified geometry.” The wind tunnel tests are
used to analyze the behavior of single blades, not the
entire blisk. The flow of air is directed onto the blades in
Blade for cascade wind tunnel testing. The manufacturing precision of wind tunnel blades is ten times that of engine
blades.
exactly the same way as in an engine. The scientists use
highly sensitive, pneumatic measuring instruments to
analyze pressures, angles of incidence, and speeds.
The project owes much of its success to the specialists
at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
in Aachen, who manufactured the blades for the wind
tunnel tests, including those with the defined deviations.
To obtain reliable test results, the blades had to be manufactured
with utmost precision. The IPT in turn is working
closely with the Laboratory of Machine Tools and Production
Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University,
where Dr. Drazen Veselovac is the designated contact for
the MTU development team: “We deal with every aspect of
airfoil manufacturing.” This also includes new materials
such as titanium and nickel alloys. “Our objective is to find
out how to introduce these materials on the production
floor,” explains Veselovac. “From the manufacturer’s point
of view, there are obvious advantages to be gained by
using these materials in their engines. But on the other
hand, there is the question of machinability, which places
new demands on the tools used to machine the metals.”
And that’s not the end of it: “We are also investigating the
impact of design parameters on the manufacturing technology,
for instance what extra effort is required to implement
improvements to the leading edge, and how these
improvements affect overall engine efficiency.” The collaboration
even extends to the programming of MTU’s fiveaxis
machining centers, for which the software is being
coded by the WZL and IPT specialists, according to
Veselovac.
The complexity of blisk manufacturing is illustrated by the
milling of the fillet radius between the blade and the rotor
disk. The blades are delicate and the spacing between
them is narrow, which requires a milling tool capable of
operating to close tolerances so as to ensure a perfectly
shaped profile and perfect surface quality. “The more
complex the shape of the fillet radius, the higher the
efforts involved in manufacturing,” says Veselovac. The
scientists therefore investigate what influence can in fact
be attributed to the fillet profile and what solution could
be the best tradeoff for manufacturing and operation.
Aerodynamic behavior and structural mechanics are obviously
important, but not the only things that need to be
taken into consideration.
The Tolerant Airfoils project is already in its final phase.
The participating partners have learnt how to find the
ideal tradeoff that satisfies all cost and functional
requirements, all things considered. Von Czerniewicz will
shortly be delivering the results of the three-year project
to the design team: “We have revised many of the drawings,
which will make it easier to automate component
testing. And we can do away with some of the requirements
altogether because they are functionally irrelevant,
which in turn will help reduce the cost of testing and nonconformity
correction. Without the meticulous data from
the wind-tunnel tests, it would not have been possible to
RWTH Aachen University—a competent partner of industry.
reach these conclusions,” he says, appreciative of the
excellent collaboration with RWTH Aachen University and
Fraunhofer IPT.
The researchers at RWTH Aachen University are happy
too: “MTU passes on the tasks to us that have more of a
scientific bias and require more time to complete. This
kind of collaboration is extremely valuable to us, because
we gain a tremendous amount of know-how,” says
Jeschke. There is certain to be a follow-on project, for
there is still further work to be done: “We don’t yet know
with hundred-percent accuracy what effect individual
parameters can have on the blisk system as a whole when
blades deviate from the ideal shape, and especially how
the engine will behave when individual blades in different
stages exhibit deviations that differ from one blade to
another,” says von Czerniewicz.
For additional information, contact
Frank von Czerniewicz
+49 89 1489-4307
For interesting multimedia services associated with
this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
38 39

Products + Services
Two coats
are more
durable
than one
By Daniel Hautmann
Only 1.2 millimeters separate the rotor blades of the highpressure
turbine from the air seals in the engine casing—
when the engine is idle. This gap is known as the tip clearance.
During full-load operation, at a speed of around
14,000 revolutions per minute, the centrifugal force pushes
the blades outward and the tip clearance tends to zero. To
repair the air seals, MTU employs a technique that was
developed in-house and has been in use on the V2500 for
ten years. Now that MTU has obtained FAA approval for
application of the repair procedure also on the PW2000, the
success story can continue.
The air seals have a tremendous impact on engine
performance and fuel consumption, so it is not
surprising that they are given so much attention.
The huge variations in temperature to which the
air seals are exposed give rise to cracking, and sometimes
even cause fragments of the seal to break off.
Such damage degrades the engine’s performance
and increases fuel burn. “The narrower the tip clearance,
the higher the efficiency,” explains Stefan
Zantopp, Senior Manager, V2500 Engineering at MTU
Maintenance Hannover. MTU’s special repair technique
has been in use on the V2500 for ten years.
And very successfully so, because the repaired air
seals are more robust than OEM parts.
40 41

Products + Services
For comparison: Outer air seal segment of a high-pressure turbine with MTU Plus coating and the same part showing an advanced state of wear and tear.
OEM
MTU
The MTU engineers have dubbed their process MTU Plus Multiply
Plasma Coating. “We started by looking at the weak points,
and immediately realized there was a better way to go about
the problem,” relates Dr. Frank Seidel, Senior Manager, Repair
Development at MTU Maintenance Hannover, where the repair
procedure was developed and has been used ever since. “Now
the air seals can be repaired and remain in service for much
longer.” The MTU specialists have succeeded in extending the
service life of the overhauled seals beyond that of OEM parts.
“Our reconditioned air seals are more robust, and therefore
stand up better to wear and tear,” concludes Zantopp.
The MTU development engineers invented and patented a
process in which a novel coating system is applied by means
of plasma spraying. Unlike the OEM parts, the air seals reconditioned
by MTU—in the case of the V2500 low-pressure
turbine 38 segments per stage—are protected by an additional
coating layer. Seidel: “We had seen that the behavior of the
single-layer OEM coating was not really satisfactory. It sometimes
chipped off, and thus degraded the protective action of
the coating. To increase its mechanical strength, we decided
to add a second layer.”
In the next processing step, the two uppermost ceramic layers
are applied using atmospheric plasma spraying. The
ceramic material deposited is yttrium-stabilized zirconium
oxide. The result: The lower ceramic layer is very dense and
highly resistant to erosion. The second layer is more porous,
which further improves the coating’s thermal insulation properties
and improves running-in of the rotor blades. Seidel
says: “Our two-layer coating withstands thermal cycling much
better than the single-layer coatings used on OEM air seals.”
Before the reconditioned air seals are reinstalled in the engine
or delivered to the customer, they have to be provided with
cooling holes. In the case of the V2500, 70 holes are drilled
in each segment. These holes have a conical profile and a
surface diameter of around 0.4 millimeters, and are drilled at
different angles. “Such drilling can only be done with a laser,”
says Process Engineer Uwe Schulze.
The idea of developing a new air seal coating was originally
put forward jointly by MTU and a customer in Saudi Arabia.
Hardly surprising, given that aircraft engines operated in
desert regions are exposed to extreme thermal loads, especially
during take-off and landing. Not to mention the particles
of sand ingested into the engine, which have the same abrasive
effect as sandpaper. “These airlines fly under the toughest
conditions in the world,” notes Matthias Wagner, Chief Engineer
at MTU Maintenance Hannover. “Whereas a customer in
the north of Europe can expect a time on wing of 15,000 or
more flight hours, the maximum limit in the desert is 6,000
hours.” It is here that MTU’s reconditioned air seals have
MTU
The process comprises the following steps: First, the support
panels made from a superalloy are visually inspected. The
coating is stripped, and the parts are subjected to crack
inspection. If the inspection reveals damage that can be
repaired, the parts are welded or brazed as required. Then a
metallic bond coat made of a high-temperature MCrAlY alloy
is deposited using vacuum plasma spraying. The bond coat is
diffusion heat treated to relieve stresses in the material and
ensure that it adheres perfectly to the substrate.
Plus vacuum plasma spraying of high-pressure turbine outer air seals. Over 25,000 V2500 air seals have been repaired in Hannover to date.
proved their remarkable resistance. To date, the maintenance
shop in Hannover has repaired over 25,000 air seals for the
V2500. And the seal segments have also proved their worth
in “rainbow” engines operated by different airlines, including
US Airways: “After flight operations, they were in significantly
better condition than air seals with a single-layer coating,” says
Wagner.
Last year, MTU obtained FAA approval to use the repair procedure
also on the PW2000. This engine’s air seals are not of
the same design as those of the V2500. They have internal
cooling ducts instead of drilled cooling holes, and the seal is
made up of 40 segments, rather than 38. But the biggest difference
of all lies in the material, as Schulze explains: “The
single-crystal superalloy used here is one of the most
advanced materials in existence today. It took a lot of hard
work to develop a suitable repair technique and obtain the
necessary regulatory approval.” But the efforts have paid off:
To date, more than 1,000 PW2000 air seals have been overhauled,
and this number is expected to increase significantly
in future—because two coats are more durable than one.
For additional information, contact
Dr. Frank Seidel
+49 511 7806-4212
42 43

44
Products + Services
Successful GE38
PT stress test at
MTU facility
By Bernd Bundschu
General Electric (GE) Aviation Division and MTU Aero Engines are very
pleased that the GE38 has successfully completed the power turbine
stress test at the MTU test facility in Munich. This test has special significance,
because it is the first time that a German company has tested a
U.S. military engine on the manufacturer’s behalf. The GE38 is destined
to power the U.S. Marine Corps’ CH-53K heavy lift helicopters. It is also
suitable for the future European transport aircraft, other heavy-lift turboshaft
applications as well as for marine and turboprop applications. MTU
owns an 18-percent stake in the engine program and is responsible for
the development and production of the power turbine.
The successful completion of the power turbine stress test is
an important event both for MTU and the GE38: “The successful
completion of this test satisfies a significant milestone
in the engine’s certification program,” points out Dr. Robert
Bader, GE38 Chief Engineer at MTU. The GE38 is the first-ever
military program that MTU has participated with GE (Lynn, MA)
involving the design, development and production of a significant
portion of the engine. So it is all the more remarkable that the
Munich company was entrusted with this critical test. “Apparently,
GE has built-up a lot of confidence in MTU’s overall abilities,” comments
Bader.
The power turbine stress test began on July 12 and ended on
August 3. During this period, the engine completed five test runs,
each lasting between four and five hours. “Engine data was
recorded at no fewer than 100 rotating measuring points and
transmitted to the test bed via a wireless transmission link,”
explains Wolfgang Duling, responsible for military engine testing
at MTU. “The purpose of the tests was to demonstrate that the
mechanical strength and the vibration behavior of the turbine
components and blades correspond to our predictions—when
under load.” Duling also said that “another purpose of the test
was to measure the temperature of the components which was
also successfully completed and is now under review.”
45

Products + Services
A visitor to MTU in Munich: the GE38 test engine.
Big effort: It took nearly a year to prepare the engine for the power turbine stress tests.
Numerous GE Aviation representatives were present in
Munich on the first day of the test, including GE38 Program
Director Paul Acquaviva, who complimented MTU on the efficient
way the tests were being conducted and noted that the
results far exceeded GE’s expectations. MTU’s GE38 Program
Director Rainer Becker was equally enthusiastic: “Everything
went according to plan. We met all our test objectives and
delivered high-quality data.
Preparations for the power turbine stress test in MTU’s test
cell took approximately twelve months and involved the
efforts of numerous specialists in a wide range of disciplines
including data recording, test bed design, assembly techniques,
and analysis. The test engine arrived from GE in mid-
March of this year. MTU installed the engine in the test bed
and was ready for testing within two weeks from the arrival
date. MTU thanks for the hands-on support of the GE engineers.
“Their knowledge and experience were invaluable during
both the setup phase and the actual tests,” says Chief
Engineer Bader.
MTU’s test cell, which also ran the GE38 water ingestion and
ice ingestion tests, is currently being reconfigured. These
tests will be followed by hailstone ingestion and bird strike
tests at the end of the year, before the engine is sent back to
GE. Another test engine will be used for the planned sand
ingestion tests that are set to conclude the test program in
CH-53K Status
A CH-53K helicopter was fitted with a GE38 engine for the
very first time in June 2012 at the Sikorsky facility in West
Palm Beach, Florida. The helicopter is the first of seven prototypes
that will be used for ground testing. The official rollout
of the first aircraft, the Ground Test Vehicle, is planned for
the final quarter of 2012. Joe Bussichella, GE’s GE38 Chief
Engineer, is delighted with the progress: “The tests are running
entirely to schedule.” Planning for the final tests is well
advanced; the bird strike tests alone require around six
months of preparation. “The special equipment required for
these ingestion tests—from the measurement sensors to the
guns—was developed by MTU and being utilized for the GE38
tests,” adds MTU’s Program Director Becker.
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to order over 700
GE38 engines for the U.S. Marine Corps. Both GE and MTU
are hoping to find other customers. Bussichella said: “In addition
to the CH-53K helicopter, we can envision many other
applications for the GE38 in aircraft requiring GE38’s power
level.” MTU has already obtained licenses for the mainte-
this fall. Two of the aircraft will be used for structural integrity
and fatigue testing. Flight testing will be carried out using
the remaining four aircraft—referred to as the Engineering
Demonstration Models—from September 2013 onwards. GE
has been asked to supply a total of 20 flight test engines
(FTEs) to Sikorsky—three per helicopter plus one spare engine
each. Six FTEs have been delivered so far, with the rest to
follow between now and mid-2013.
nance, final assembly, and testing of the GE38 models for a
possible European heavy-lift transport helicopter. In any case,
even as a pilot project, the GE38 could potentially open the
door to further cooperation between Germany’s leading aero
engine manufacturer and the giant U.S. group in the military
aviation sector. GE Program Director Acquaviva said: “We’re
very happy to have MTU working alongside of us. They are
excellent partners, very professional, and their collaboration
is outstanding.” MTU Program Director Becker adds: “We want
to intensify our cooperation with GE in all areas of activity.
The GE38 program underpins this strategic objective.”
For additional information, contact
Rainer Becker
+49 89 1489-6986
46 47
“© Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation 2012. All rights reserved.”

Global
High-tech
oasis in
the desert
By Silke Hansen
There is excitement in the air at King Khalid
International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, where Middle
East Propulsion Company (MEPC), the region’s
specialist maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
provider for military aircraft engines in the Gulf
region, has set up a new facility at KKIA industrial
park. The ultramodern hangars offer ample space
for providing support for all types of engine operated
by the Saudi armed forces. MTU Aero Engines
owns a share in the company and is doing everything
it can to lend a helping hand.
The new building complex, covering a surface
area of 18,000 square meters, was
officially inaugurated in June 2012. The
event was celebrated in the presence of representatives
of the five MEPC shareholders from
Germany, the United States and Saudi Arabia,
various high-ranking government officials and
senior military officers. “With this new maintenance
facility, MEPC will be able to pursue its
plans to become the national MRO provider for
the Saudi armed forces, create new highly
skilled jobs, and build up its technological
know-how,” says Karl-Josef Bader, MTU’s Vice
President Business Development Defense Programs.
48 49

Global
An expanding business
We asked CEO Abdulahad S. Al-Turkistani to elucidate his plans for the future of the Middle East
Propulsion Company (MEPC).
Abdulahad S. Al-Turkistani, CEO
What future do you envisage for MEPC?
“MEPC is one of the largest providers of military engine maintenance,
repair and overhaul services in the Middle East and one of the leading
employers of highly qualified engineers and technicians in Saudi
Arabia. We want to evolve into a world-class MRO facility for military
engines and establish a local center of excellence for advanced technologies
and technical know-how that will enable us to serve our
customers even more efficiently. This includes offering more services
in the field of engine component repairs and testing. In the long term,
we also want to penetrate the market for commercial maintenance.”
How important is the new building?
“The new company headquarters and maintenance shop give us sufficient
space and top-quality equipment to spur our future growth for
many years to come. At present, our facilities occupy 18,000 square
meters of a site that comprises a total area of some 136,000 square
meters, so we have plenty of room for expansion.”
As your business grows, do you also intend to increase the workforce?
“Sure. The number of permanent employees will grow in line with the
needs of our growing portfolio. We start recruiting long before a new
project is officially launched, to allow us sufficient time to train the
new employees and make the necessary preparations.”
Are you modifying your training and development program to prepare
for the new challenges?
“The majority of new recruits are university graduates or qualified
technicians. They learn their product-specific knowledge on the job,
with us or one of our OEM partners. But it is true that in future we
will maintain a strong focus on the training of our employees. They will
have to deal with new technologies and a wider range of products,
which means we will need to build up a workforce qualified to work
on diverse products to run our operations efficiently. MTU has provided
us with valuable support in this respect, and we hope that we
can continue to rely on MTU’s and other partners’ expertise in the
field of advanced repair techniques.”
MEPC started out in the maintenance business
with the Pratt & Whitney F100-220
engine for the Boeing F-15, which together
with the Tornado form the backbone of the
fleet operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force
(RSAF). After MTU’s acquisition of a 19-percent
share in 2009, the company was able to
broaden its capabilities thanks to Pratt &
Whitney’s and MTU’s generous support.
Today, barely three years later, its product
portfolio has been expanded to include modules
of the RB199 that equips the Saudi fleet
of 84 Tornados, the T56 that powers the fleet
of C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, and the
PT6A used in the RSAF’s Pilatus PC-9 and
PC-21 training aircraft. The newly added PT6
and T56 programs are currently awaiting
approval, expected sometime later this year.
MEPC will then be in a position to offer full
overhaul services for the two turboprops. To
support this activity, the company is constructing
one of the region’s most up-to-date
test cells for turboshaft engines delivering up
to 5,000 shaft horsepower. The test cell,
which was designed by a team of MTU and
Pratt & Whitney specialists, is due to go into
operation around the end of 2013.
The cooperation between the Saudi Arabian,
American and German partners could not be
better: MEPC is creating highly skilled jobs
and developing into a center of high-tech
expertise in the bustling capital of the desert
kingdom. Michael Schreyögg, MTU Senior
Vice President, Defense Programs, is optimistic
about the company’s future: “MEPC
has a highly motivated, excellently trained
workforce and a management team that
knows how to deliver results. These are the
best prerequisites for becoming the leading
military maintenance provider in the Middle
East and making our shared vision a reality.”
In clear and specific terms, the company aims
to quadruple its revenues over the next ten
years. At present, with a workforce of 105 employees,
MEPC generates annual revenues of
50 million U.S. dollars.
Through its stake in MEPC, MTU gains access
to an attractive, growing sales market for its
technologies. And the customer benefits too.
Bader: “Through its local direct investment,
MTU has closer contact to the market and
can tailor its services to the customer’s needs
and specific requirements.” A strategy that
pays, as the Saudi Minister of Economy and
MEPC’s new base is located near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. At the inauguration ceremony: Dr. Muhammad Bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser (left) and Prince Khalid bin
Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (middle).
High-tech shop: MEPC is offering highly skilled jobs.
Planning, Dr. Muhammad Bin Sulaiman Al-
Jasser, confirms: “MEPC is an important element
in our offset program for the defense
industry, and is making remarkable progress
with its plans to expand capacity and acquire
new expertise.”
Indeed, the company has ambitious goals:
“We want to add even more programs to our
portfolio,” says Bader. These plans include
obtaining a maintenance contract for the
RSAF’s EJ200 fighter jet engines. Saudi Arabia
has ordered 72 Eurofighter Typhoons, 24 of
which have already been delivered, and
prospects are good for a follow-on tranche of
orders. MTU contributes the low-pressure and
high-pressure compressors and the digital
engine control unit (FADEC) to the EJ200 program.
Other targeted engines include the
General Electric T700 for the UH-60 Black
Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters operated
by the RSAF, and the AGT1500 tank engine
built by Honeywell. The scope of work on the
RB199 keeps increasing too. Until now, MEPC
carried out maintenance on two MTU modules,
the high-pressure compressor and the
intermediate-pressure turbine rotor. Now the
intermediate casing has been added to the
portfolio. Schreyögg: “We will continue to support
MEPC with our technologies and knowhow.
Our ultimate aim is to obtain contracts
for every single aero engine flown from bases
in Saudi Arabia.”
For additional information, contact
Karl-Josef Bader
+49 89 1489-3220
For interesting multimedia services
associated with this article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
50 51

Global
Growing business with
accessories
By Dr. Nina McDonagh
Two-and-a-half years ago, the Sea Island Remote Terminal at Vancouver International Airport was
bustling with activity, as thousands of visitors passed through the building on their way to sporting
venues in and around the city for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Nowadays things look very different.
MTU Maintenance has moved into the building and converted it into a repair shop for engine
accessories, equipped with the latest in modern machinery.
MTU Maintenance Canada in Vancouver
has formed part of the MTU Maintenance
network since 1998, and was the
first overseas location to be established by Germany’s
leading engine manufacturer. The MTU
subsidiary specializes in the maintenance of
CF6-50 and CFM56-3 engines and is the group’s
center of excellence for accessory repairs. The
company’s business is growing rapidly: “In the
past five years, we have achieved growth rates of
25 percent per annum,” reports Managing
Director Ralf Schmidt. “The work we do on accessories
meanwhile accounts for some 20 percent
of our total revenues.” The company intends
to expand this area of activity even further. “We
have set ourselves the goal of continuing to significantly
grow our business over the next five
years,” adds Schmidt.
The start of operations in the new building, which
will increase the company’s capacity to meet the
growing demand for accessory repairs, represents
the first step on the road to accomplishing
this ambitious plan. Covering a surface area of
35,000 square feet, the new Accessory Repair
Centre, or A.R.C. for short, is more than three
times as spacious as the old repair facility and is
equipped with the latest in modern machinery.
Repairs will be carried out here mainly on fuel
components, actuators and harnesses. “We recently
put a new test cell for fuel control systems
into operation,” relates Helmut Neuper, Director,
Accessory Repair Centre. “It’s a great addition to
the existing equipment, because now we can test
a much wider range of complex components of
critical importance to flight safety, including
main engine controls (MECs), hydro-mechanical
52 53

Global
The new Accessory Repair Centre also carries out repairs on electrical harnesses.
units (HMUs) and fuel metering units (FMUs). This in turn
enables us to process a significantly higher number of parts.”
Given that the former check-in building is conveniently located
close to MTU Maintenance Canada’s headquarters in
Vancouver, and remained unused after the Olympic Games,
MTU soon recognized its potential as a means of expanding
capacity without having to invest huge sums of money in a
whole new construction project. The company took advantage
of this unique opportunity and signed a ten-year leasing
contract with the Vancouver Airport Authority. Schmidt comments:
“This is not a temporary solution. We are confident
that orders will continue to increase and that we will certainly
be renewing the contract when the initial term expires.”
For MTU Maintenance, the expansion of its core business to
include accessory repairs is a logical decision, not only in the
light of increasing demand. In the more than 30 years since
MTU entered the maintenance business, the company has
built up an unrivaled store of expertise in the maintenance,
repair and overhaul of large and medium-sized commercial
aircraft engines. Moreover, the parent company, MTU Aero
Engines, has been responsible for supporting all engines
operated by the German armed forces ever since the company
was founded, this being work that also involves accessory
repairs.
The advantage of concentrating the group’s accessory repair
activities in Vancouver is that the site is equipped with the
latest technologies and brand-new machinery to perform all
repair procedures and support functions, such as cleaning,
incoming and outgoing goods inspection, and a spare parts
store all under one roof. This allows the company to offer
customers increased accessory repair capabilities and a wider
product portfolio. Today, MTU Maintenance Canada is in a
better position to respond to all customer requirements and
capable of providing flexible, tailored solutions to the high
quality standards customers expect. Karen Barwegen, LRU
Repair Manager at GE Aviation Materials, is just one of many
enthusiastic customers: “Your shop in Vancouver is amazingly
efficient and extremely well organized. I have confidence
in sending my harnesses and line replaceable units to you—
the results exceed our expectations every time.”
Dan Watson, Chief Commercial Officer at MTU Maintenance
Canada, is optimistic about the future: “Our business with
the CF6-50 engine, which powers such aircraft as the U.S. Air
Force’s KC-10 refueling tanker and transport aircraft, is running
very well. And we are working hard to develop more
business for our second program, the CFM56-3.” A major
contract signed with Southwest Airlines has already helped
to ensure that the shop is operating at full capacity, and is
expected to have a positive effect on the accessories business
as of 2013. Watson adds: “One of the major trends in
today’s aviation industry is supply chain consolidation. This
will contribute to further growing our business with the maintenance
of line replaceable units (LRUs).”
And that’s not all. More and more customers are demanding
one-stop solutions—packages that bundle together a full,
scheduled engine maintenance service and unscheduled accessory
repairs. “We are now in a position to meet all of our
customers’ requirements—from essential engine repairs to
the repair of individual components,” says Watson, understandably
pleased by the developments, adding: “This will
have a positive impact on the Accessory Repair Centre, and
moreover create a competitive advantage for our core business,
engine MRO.”
For additional information, contact
Helmut Neuper
+001 778 296-3818
For interesting multimedia services associated with this
article, go to
www.mtu.de/report
The test cell for fuel control systems is brand new.
Formerly used to welcome visitors, the building is now a high-tech repair shop.
54 55

Report
Test passed
successfully
By Achim Figgen
“I’m glad that, if things get serious, these lads are on my side,” explained Colonel Andreas Pfeiffer
of the German Air Force, just after he had been downed several times—in simulation—as a passenger
aboard an F-16. “These lads” are the pilots of Fighter Wing 74, of which Colonel Pfeiffer is
commander. Ten airmen and eight Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from FW 74, based in the Bavarian
town of Neuburg on the Danube, took part last May and June in the Red Flag-Alaska aerial combat
operations exercise.
This was the first time the Luftwaffe had opted to
test the capabilities of its most advanced fighter
under realistic conditions and in cooperation with
the jets and pilots of international partners as part of Red
Flag-Alaska. In the process, the Luftwaffe’s state-of-theart
combat aircraft demonstrated its characteristics in
impressive style and proved absolutely geared up to face
the challenges of modern aerial warfare.
Since 1975, these exercises have allowed air crews from
the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. services, as well as
those of allied nations, to improve their skills in aerial
warfare in order to fully prepare themselves for future
operations. The exercises are held several times a year
either at the Ellis Air Force Base in Nevada or at the
Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. There, coalition forces
(the Blue Force) fly air-to-air and air-to-ground attack mis-
sions against the Red Force, which was provided by the
18th Aggressor Squadron, home-based at Eielson, which
alongside a wide variety of air defense systems, also flew
F-16Cs.
A good 173,000 square kilometers of air space in the
Joint Pacific Range Complex is available for Red Flag-
Alaska (called Cope Thunder until 2005 and held at the
Clark Air Base in the Philippines until 1991). Given the area
is equal to about half the size of Germany, it is a dream
come true for the German pilots, since they are faced
with all sorts of restrictions in their home skies. A warmup
phase (called Distant Frontier) was held from May 21
to June 6 as a precursor to the actual Red Flag-Alaska
exercise, during which the airmen of FW 74 and other
guest units could get accustomed to the conditions in
Alaska.
56 57

Report
Together with Polish F-16 aircraft that were taking part for
the very first time in an exercise of this kind, initial smallscale
simulated sorties were flown against the “enemy” jets
of the Aggressor Squadron. This gave the German pilots their
first encounter with the F-22 Raptor, currently the U.S. Air
Force’s most advanced fighter. In one-on-one combat the
European jets showed what they were made of, as Colonel
Pfeiffer sums up: “Without doubt the F-22 has some unique
and formidable qualities. But in close combat, we need not
necessarily fear the Raptor in all aspects.”
Following directly on from Distant Frontier, the participants
got down to business with the actual Red Flag-Alaska exercise—the
second of three planned for this year—in the period
from June 7 to 22. Nearly 100 aircraft were involved, with
Germany providing not just the eight Eurofighter Typhoon
jets but also an Airbus A310 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker
Transport) that was deployed at the neighboring Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson and responsible for air-to-air refueling
during operations. A second A310 MRTT had previously supported
the eight Eurofighter Typhoons as they made their way
from Neuburg to Eielson—a trip of some 8,000 kilometers
that they completed in two stages.
In the course of the two-week exercise, the Eurofighter
Typhoon pilots were confronted with a variety of scenarios,
including deployment alongside Japanese F-15s and the F-22
Raptors of the U.S. Air Force. Each day two extensive missions,
or waves, were staged, and FW 74 was twice responsible
for the entire planning and execution of a wave. Of a
total of 102 planned sorties, 98 were actually flown; this
underlines the reliability of the Eurofighter Typhoon—and of
Eight Eurofighter jets from Germany’s Fighter Wing 74 took part in the Red Flag-
Alaska exercises.
its engines. “No missions failed due to engine problems, and
neither were there any significant issues with the engines,”
observes Klaus Günther, EJ200/RB199 Program Director at
MTU Aero Engines in Munich. He concludes: “The EJ200 has
fully met the expectations of pilots and ground crew.”
Participants on site were equally positive about the nearly
seven weeks they spent in the northwest of the U.S. “Fighter
Some 100 fighter jets flew sorties.
Wing 74’s participation in the high-level Red Flag-Alaska
training exercise was a great success,” said Commander
Colonel Pfeiffer. “Taking all factors into account, this is probably
the best-quality training you can possibly get in modern
air combat.” The timing of this realistic training opportunity
could hardly have been any better, as FW 74 forms part of the
NATO Response Force this year.
For additional information, contact
Klaus Günther
+49 89 1489-3308
Participants in Red Flag-Alaska
Eielson Air Force Base
• 8 F-16C/D Block 52s,
6. Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego (Poland)
• 12 F-16C+s, 18th AGRS (U.S.)
• 10 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs,
25th Fighter Squadron (U.S.)
• 12 F-16CMs, 36th Fighter Squadron (U.S.)
• 16 F-16CMs, 77th Fighter Squadron (U.S.)
• 8 Eurofighter Typhoons,
Fighter Wing 74 (Germany)
• 3 F-15Js, 303 Hikotai (Japan)
• 3 F-15Js, 306 Hikotai (Japan)
• 2 UH-60s, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (U.S.)
• 6 KC-135Rs, 22nd Air Refueling Wing (U.S.)
• 1 HH-60G, 210 Rescue Squadron (U.S.)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
• 4 F-22A Raptors, 525th Fighter Squadron (U.S.)
• 1 C-130E,
14. Eskadra Lotnictwa Transportowego (Poland)
• 3 C-130Hs, 401 Hikotai (Japan)
• 2 KC-767s, 404 Hikotai (Japan)
• 1 C-17A, 535th Airlift Squadron (U.S.)
• 1 C-130H, 537th Airlift Squadron (U.S.)
• 1 E-3 AWACS,
962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron (U.S.)
• 1 A310 MRTT, Special Air Mission Wing,
Federal Ministry of Defense (Germany)
• 1 E-767, Hiko Keikai Kanseita (Japan)
• 1 E-3A AWACS, NATO E-3A Component
• 1 E-7A, No. 2 Squadron (Australia)
• C-130H/Js, No. 37 Squadron (Australia)
58 59

MTU enters the South-Korean market
60
In Brief
Record orders at Farnborough Airshow
This year’s Farnborough International Airshow in July turned out to be very
successful for MTU: Germany’s leading engine manufacturer reported orders
worth around 1.3 billion euros. “This marks an all-time high in MTU’s history.
In terms of value, it’s the biggest order volume we’ve ever secured at a trade
show,” said MTU CEO Egon Behle. MTU benefited from orders and maintenance
agreements for engines in which MTU has a stake. New orders for the
geared turbofan (GTF) engine accounted for the lion’s share of these contracts.
Orders were placed also for V2500 and GEnx engines.
New GE90
customer
A Boeing 777 from AeroLogic’s fleet.
MTU Maintenance Hannover has won German express
cargo company AeroLogic as a customer for the maintenance
of its GE90-110B engines. Under the exclusive contract,
the Langenhagen engine specialists are responsible
for maintenance services for all of the engines powering
AeroLogic’s fleet of 777Fs, including spare engines. The
contract is worth more than 200 million U.S. dollars (more
than 160 million euros).
A Boeing 747 from Asiana Airlines’ fleet.
Joint venture
with Sagem
Sagem (Safran Group) and MTU have set up a joint venture for the development
of safety-critical software and hardware for military and civil aviation
applications. AES Aerospace Embedded Solutions GmbH will employ about
200 engineers and will be headquartered in Munich, on MTU’s company premises.
Its main products will include control systems for engines such as the
TP400-D6 turboprop powering the Airbus A400M military transport, as well
as other safety-critical hardware and software solutions such as controls for
landing gear, braking, monitoring and information systems.
The A400M.
The A320neo.
South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines has selected
MTU Maintenance Hannover to provide maintenance,
repair and overhaul services for its CF6-
80C2 engines. “By winning the contract from
this major airline, we’ve added the first carrier
from South Korea to our MRO customer base,”
said Dr. Stefan Weingartner, President, Commercial
Maintenance at MTU Aero Engines. The agreement
will run for five years. Asiana, headquartered
in Seoul, is among the leading airlines in
Asia and operates a mixed fleet of 72 Boeing and
Airbus aircraft.
1,000th industrial gas
turbine overhauled
Another milestone reached in Ludwigsfelde: MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg
has overhauled the 1,000th industrial gas turbine (IGT). The engine—
an LM6000—was returned to its operator, Rojana Power Co., Ltd., one of
Thailand’s leading power corporations. The company has been sending IGTs
to the Ludwigsfelde shop for repair and overhaul since 2004. Last year, the
German IGT specialists stepped in to lend the customer a helping hand when
several of its IGTs had been badly damaged by the devastating flooding that
hit Thailand in 2011.
An LM6000 industrial gas turbine undergoing inspection.
New multimedia offerings
MTU goes multimedia: Germany’s leading engine manufacturer has made its brochures
available electronically, as well as in paper form. Brochures can be downloaded
in e-paper format from www.mtu.de or via the MTU Aero Engines MEDIA iPad
app, which features multimedia content such as video and photo galleries and can be
downloaded from the App store for free.
Regular updates will also be posted on Facebook, Xing and YouTube. All it takes is a
quick glance at one of the three pages on social networking site Facebook, dedicated
to the company, careers and apprentices, to stay up-to-date with the latest company
developments.
Masthead
Editor
MTU Aero Engines Holding AG
Eckhard Zanger
Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and
Public Affairs
Managing editor
Torunn Siegler
Tel. +49 89 1489-6626
Fax +49 89 1489-4303
torunn.siegler@mtu.de
Editor in chief
Martina Vollmuth
Tel. +49 89 1489-5333
Fax +49 89 1489-8757
martina.vollmuth@mtu.de
Address
MTU Aero Engines Holding AG
Dachauer Straße 665
80995 Munich • Germany
www.mtu.de
Realization
Heidrun Moll
Editorial staff
Bernd Bundschu, Denis Dilba, Achim Figgen, Silke Hansen,
Daniel Hautmann, Patrick Hoeveler, Dr. Nina McDonagh,
Andreas Spaeth, Martina Vollmuth
Layout
Manfred Deckert
Sollnerstraße 73
81479 Munich • Germany
Photo credits
Cover Page:
Pages 2–3
Pages 4–5
Pages 6–13
Pages 14–17
Pages 18–21
Pages 22–25
Pages 26–29
Pages 30–33
Pages 34–39
Pages 40–43
Pages 44–47
Pages 48–51
Pages 52–55
Pages 56–59
Pages 60–61
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