Engines
Ever-widening range of forces driving direction of engine tech
The debate about the design of future commercial aircraft engines broadened this year as concerns mounted over the effect aircraft engines may be having on

The debate about the design of future commercial aircraft engines broadened this year as concerns mounted over the effect aircraft engines may be having on global warming, while the cost of aviation fuel rocketed and noise became ever more of an issue.

The biggest surprise of the year so far has come from Rolls-Royce (Stand W206) and CFM International (Stand W424), who revealed they are looking at contra-rotating open-rotor engine designs, which are reminiscent of General Electric’s unducted fan research in the late 1980s. While both still base their main future engine research on conventionally configured turbofans, the efficiency advantages offered by open rotors cannot be ignored. Even the European Commission has thrown its hat into the ring with two major new programs (see below).

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