Pratt & Whitney insists its geared turbofan (GTF) engine will have “fuel burn parity” with the competing open-rotor designs being studied by CFM International, Rolls-Royce and Snecma, all of whom have rejected geared fans as the way forward. “We think that weight, drag and installation issues will take away much of the advantages of the open rotor concept,” said Robert Keady, senior vice president of sales and marketing for large commercial engines.
“The GTF is conceived as the appropriate solution for Airbus and Boeing,” he said, adding that “it is the best solution, even when considering the open rotor.” Keady believes that the early commitments to the GTF from Bombardier and Mitsubishi will convince airlines of its “transformational” qualities before Airbus and Boeing have to commit to the next-generation narrowbody replacement. We don’t think the airlines are pushing open rotor and contrarotating rotor concepts,” he said.
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