German engine manufacturer, MTU Aero Engines AG will have a 4 percent workshare in General Electric's next generation GE9X engine program.
The GE9X turbofan is being exclusively designed to power Boeing's 777X long-haul airliner, which is slated to enter service in 2020.
MTU will have manufacturing and design responsibility for the engine's turbine center frame.
The Turbine Center Frame is one of the major structural components of the engine and contains one bearing of the engine rotor. Its aerodynamic function is to act as the transition duct for the hot gas stream from the high pressure turbine to the low pressure turbine. The high stress and hot surrounding lead to high requirements towards materials and design.
The contractual details are yet to be finalized between the parties.
MTU will participate in the GE9X sales and profits in proportion to its program share.The program revenue is projected at some four billion euros over its life.
MTU already has stakes in engines in the upper thrust category, including the TCF of the GP7000 for the Airbus A380 and of the GE GEnx, which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 747-8.
The GE9X engine for the Boeing 777X will deliver more than 100,000 pounds of thrust, that is around 50 percent more power than the GEnx-2B engine. Having been designed to achieve fuel burn savings of about ten percent over today's GE90-115B, the GE9X will be the most fuel-efficient engine GE has ever produced on a per-pounds-of-thrust basis.
