FLIGHT

COMMERCIAL ENGINES
LEAP OF FAITH
CFM’s A320neo engine has the upper hand on P&W’s rival offering,
but with 34% of orders yet to be assigned, the battle remains fierce
STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
A
programme that began to take shape
as a concept nearly eight years ago
is finally taking real form inside
CFM International’s supply chain.
Launched at the 2005 Paris Air Show as a
possible CFM56 replacement, the Leading
Edge Aviation Propulsion (Leap) programme
was at that time intended to supply the next
generation of turbofans for all-new single-aisle
aircraft by Airbus and Boeing. At that time,
few expected a replacement for the A320 or
737 to appear before 2020.
Over the next six years, the single-aisle
market evolved rapidly. A competitor, Pratt &
Whitney, introduced a new innovation in propulsion
called a fan-drive gear system, the
Chinese entered the market with a new single-
28 | Flight International | 19-25 February 2013
aisle airframe and Airbus and Boeing deferred
plans for an all-new single-aisle.
Instead, the US and European airframers settled
for re-engining and updating their products
within this decade, with Airbus promising
airlines a 15% fuel burn improvement compared
to a standard A320, and Boeing – not to
be outdone – vowing a 16% upgrade.
Such promises are based almost entirely on
the performance of a new generation of singleaisle
turbofans developed by P&W and CFM.
P&W’s PurePower-branded geared turbofan hit
the market first. Bombardier selected the
PW1500G to power the CSeries, a small nar-
The Leap is the only engine
on all three 160-plus-seat
narrowbodies in development
rowbody launched in the 110-149-seat market.
But engine selections for a much larger segment
of the narrowbody market, ranging up to
220 seats, awaited.
COMPETITIVE CHALLENGE
In 2008, CFM partners General Electric and
Snecma committed to launch the Leap engine
series and to define the architecture of an allnew
propulsion product that would be charged
with replacing the most successful turbofan in
history and confront the challenge from P&W.
So far, the Leap has kept CFM atop the narrowbody
engine orders race, but the final outcome
remains unclear. The Leap is the only engine
on all three 160-plus-seat narrowbodies in
development, which includes monopoly positions
on the 737 Max and C919. But the Pure-
Power PW1000G has established a monopoly
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