Embraer E-jet Embraer has cut the first metal part of the second generation E-jets E2 family of regional jets, at its Évora plant in Port...
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| Embraer E-jet |
The part is the wing stub forward pressure bulkhead of the first prototype of the E190-E2 jet, whose first flight is scheduled for 2016.
The pressure bulkhead is made of aviation aluminum and was manufactured at one of the advanced high-speed milling centers of the Embraer metallic structures plant in Évora. The part will now be sent to Brazil to start the first aircraft assembly.
Embraer launched the second generation of its E-Jets family named the E-Jets E2 at 2013 Paris Air Show. It comprises three new airplanes – E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2, in 70 to 130 seats category.
In a typical single-class layout, the E175-E2 features an extra one seat row, compared to the current generation E175, seating up to 88 passengers, while the E190-E2 keeps the same size as the E190, of up to 106 seats. The E195-E2, compared to the current E195, has grown three seat rows and will accommodate up to 132 seats.
The E190-E2 is expected to enter service in the first half of 2018. The E195-E2 is slated to enter service in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020.
Embraer announced the choice of Évora to install the Embraer Composites and Embraer Metallics plants, in 2008, and inaugurated them in September 2012. The final assembly of the E2 jets and the delivery process to customers will be done at Embraer’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil which currently produce the current generation of E-Jets.
Embraer claims the second generation jets will offer benefits of a clean-sheet design, but with the reliability of a mature platform and commonality with current generation E-Jets.
Major improvements include new aerodynamically advanced, high-aspect ratio, distinctively shaped wings, improved systems and avionics, including 4th generation full fly-by-wire flight controls, and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePowerTM Geared Turbofan high by-pass ratio engines (PW1700G on the E175-E2, PW1900G on the E190-E2 and E195-E2), resulting in double-digit reductions in fuel consumption, emissions, noise and maintenance costs, and increased aircraft availability.
Cockpit commonality with current generation E-Jets will effect smooth transition for pilots who will fly the E2. Honeywell’s Primus Epic™ 2 advanced integrated avionics system with large landscape displays, advanced graphics capabilities, and Honeywell’s Next Generation Flight Management System (NGFMS), already in development with current-generation E-Jets, will provide exceptional pilot situational awareness and flexibility for continuous innovation on the flight deck. UK based design firm Priestmangoode was contracted to jointly develop the aircraft cabin with Embraer.
The E-Jets E2 will be capable of achieving similar costs per seat of larger re-engined narrowbody aircraft, with significantly lower costs per trip, thus creating new opportunities for lower risk development of new markets and fleet right-sizing by airlines.
Other suppliers and partners for the program include Liebherr (control systems for flaps and slats), Moog (fly-by-wire), Rockwell Collins (horizontal stabilizer control system), UTC Aerospace Systems (wheels, brakes, APU, electrical system), Intertechnique (engine and APU fuel feed, pressure refueling, fuel transfer, fuel tank inerting and ventilation, and fuel gauging and control), Crane Aerospace & Electronics (electronic control module for landing gear, brake control systems and proximity sensors), Triumph (fuselage segments, rudder and elevators) and Aernnova Aerospace (vertical and horizontal stabilizers).
