Pratt & Whitney Chief Questions CFM Leap Technology Claims

Pratt & Whitney president Dave Hess, celebrating an “incredible 12 months” of commercial engine activity, has responded to CFM International’s claims that its Leap engine for the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max have materials technology leadership over the Pratt & Whitney PurePower geared turbofan. “We’re at the beginning of the runway with our engine,” he said. “We’re going to double the 15- to 16-percent fuel burn improvement we now bring and we have a roadmap for that. This program has great legs for development rather than a percent or two available from [the competing engine] with conventional architecture.”