While most people know the world’s two big commercial aircraft manufacturers,
how many major engine makers would you be able to name off the top of your head?
There are indeed a handful of companies producing powerplants that take jet aircraft into the skies.
Due to the diversity in jet engine applications, numerous large manufacturers are in the market.
Apart from their own products, some of these manufacturers also form partnerships around
various engine programs to benefit from the expertise and technologies of one another.
Apart from engines for commercial and military aircraft, jet engine
technology is also used in industrial and marine applications for power generation.
And when it comes to commercial aviation,
a handful of manufacturers (and manufacturer partnerships) dominate
the jet engine market. Today’s video will examine the top 5 and their offerings.
So the first company we’ll look at is GE Aerospace.
This is an American company and is one of the world's largest
jet engine manufacturers. The company competes directly with
Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney in producing large turbofan engines.
In addition to its product line of commercial engines,
the company also partners with other engine giants such as Safran Aircraft Engines (in
the form of CFM International) and Pratt & Whitney (in the form of Engine Alliance).
Headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, the company has a healthy product line for commercial, military,
and industrial engines. The company’s GE90 engine,
which powers the Boeing 777, holds the title of the most powerful commercial
engine in service. The engine generates a maximum thrust of 115,540 pound-force.
The company’s most prominent engines include the CF6, CF34, GE90, GEnx,
GE Passport, and GE9X. there’s also the GP7200 by Engine Alliance.
An interesting fact about a GE Aerospace product:
The GE9X (yet to enter service with the Boeing 777X) holds the Guinness World Record for the
most powerful engine, with the highest recorded thrust of 134,000 pound-force.
The second company we’ll mention is Rolls-Royce.
This is a British multinational manufacturer of jet engines. The company is also considered the
second-largest aircraft engine maker behind GE Aerospace. Rolls-Royce is best known for
its RB211 and Trent family of engines. The Trent 900 engines were the first to
power the world’s largest commercial aircraft in service, the Airbus A380.
Major commercial products are as follows: The RB211 (which powers the Boeing 747,
767, Lockheed L-1011, Tupolev Tu-204). The Trent 500 (used on the Airbus A340),
Trent 700 (Airbus A330), Trent 600 (Boeing 777), Trent 900 (Airbus A380), Trent 1000 (Boeing 787),
Trent 7000 (Airbus A330-neo), and finally, the Trent XWB (which you’ll find on the Airbus A350).
An Interesting fact about Rolls-Royce: With over 13,000 commercial engines in service,
the company powers over 35 passenger aircraft types. Rolls-Royce’s UltraFan
(not yet in service) is the world’s largest jet engine by size (fan diameter).
Third on our list is Pratt & Whitney
This American aerospace giant is a subsidiary of
Raytheon Technologies (RTX). The company is best known for its JT8 and JT9 engines.
The JT9D engine was the first to power the original Boeing 747 aircraft.
Its successor, the PW4000 series, powers a variety of large Airbus and Boeing commercial jets.
Pratt & Whitney, along with its industry partners, manufactures the revolutionary geared
turbofan engines (GTF), which power the Airbus A220, A320neo family, and the Embraer 190-E2.
Apart from its Engine Alliance joint venture with GE, it is also part of the consortium
known as International Aero Engines. This includes Rolls-Royce and Germany-based MTU Aero Engines.
Some of the manufacturer’s prominent commercial products are as follows:
The JT8D/9D, PW300 for business jets, PW1000G, PW2000, PW4000,
and GP7000 (which you’ll find on the Airbus A380).
With over 16,000 commercial engines installed,
Pratt & Whitney powers more than 25% of the world’s commercial jets in 160 countries.
4th on our list is CFM International.
CFM International (CFMI) is a 50/50 partnership between GE Aerospace and
France-based Safran Aircraft Engines. The partnership was initially established to
build the CFM56 series of narrowbody engines. The engine is famous for its
deployment on Boeing 737 Classics and NGs and the Airbus A320 family.
As of 2022, the CFM56 engines powered nearly 65% of the A320 family aircraft. More recently,
CFMI developed the Leap engine to power the next generation of narrowbody jets: the Airbus
A320neo family, the Boeing 737 MAX family. The CFM Leap also powers the Chinese COMAC C919.
The company’s only in-service products are the CFM56 series and the CFM LEAP
engines. The company is working on the CFM Rise engine to support the hydrogen
and Sustainable Aviation Fuels but this has yet to enter service. The ‘Rise’ is currently
planned to power Boeing’s X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (which remains under development).
The CFM56 engine offers some of the lowest maintenance costs in the narrowbody engine market.
The company holds approximately 40% of the world's commercial engine market share. Impressive!
And finally, 5th on our list is International Aero Engines (IAE).
As mentioned earlier, IAE is an engine consortium which has seen multiple companies join forces.
This group was established in 1983 between Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce,
Fiat Avio of Italy, MTU Aero Engines, and the Japanese Aero Engine Corporation (JAEC). In 1985,
the company rolled out its first engine, the V2500, to power the Airbus A320 family.
The Roman numeral “V” symbolizes the joint venture between five companies.
Fiat Avio exited the program early on but remained a supplier of parts for the engine. In 2012,
Rolls-Royce sold its share of 32.5% to Pratt & Whitney, which became the largest stakeholder in
the consortium with 49.5% stake. The rest 50.5% is equally divided between MTU and JAEC. Rolls-Royce
remains a supplier of what became one of the most successful commercial engines in aviation history.
The V2500 engine directly competes with the CFM56, as it has a greater maximum thrust rating.
Therefore, the engine’s performance is far superior on larger aircraft models,
such as the Airbus A321. The engine also provides better unit economics
for airlines that use the A321 aircraft. The V2500 powers nearly 35% of all Airbus
A320 family jets. The military version of the engine powers the Embraer KC-390 Millennium.
The only commercial product that the company has is the V2500. Apart from the Airbus A320 family,
the commercial version of the engine also powers the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft.
While the company was working on a derivative of the V2500,
named the SuperFan, the plan fell through in the initial phase. The
geared turbofan engine was planned to serve as an option for the Airbus A340.
The V2500 is among the best-selling engines in the narrowbody market. Nearly 8,000 V2500 engines have
been produced since its launch. As of March 2023, there are approximately 5,300 engines in service,
which account for, on average, 16 million hours of service each year.
What are your thoughts on five of the largest
commercial engine manufacturers in the world? Which company or consortium are
you a fan - or ‘tubo’-fan of? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!
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