Subsystems and services
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Posted Date: 01/03/2008
Issue: Executive & VIP Aviation International March 2008
Publication: Executive & VIP Aviation International
Where would the aerospace industry be today without cooperation and partnership pulling together pockets of expertise and sharing risk? If ever there was a technology company that excels at working alongside the big names of the aero-engine market, MTU Aero Engines has to be a front runner. And yet, with no whole private jet engines to its name, MTU Aero Engines is perhaps not the first aero-engine name a private jet owner or operator would pluck from the air. But no one should be deceived into thinking that MTU Aero Engine’s technology is no less significant because the company is a designer and builder of aero engine subsystems and not whole engines in this field. The German company’s contribution to private jet flight is – and has been for many years – key and, going forwards, will be intrinsic to cleaner, more fuel efficient and maintainable engines.
MTU – short for Motoren- und Turbinen-Union – has a history as old as aviation itself but the brand did not evolve until the 1960s. It has existed under the Daimler-Benz banner, first as part of DASA and then alone when DASA became part of EADS. Since the turn of the millennium, MTU has been owned by a private equity company and now is fully floated.
The German engine company is an 11% partner in International Aero Engines – the manufacturer of the V2500 engine for the A320 aircraft family and MD-90; and it has a significant working relationship with Pratt & Whitney Canada. This is perhaps MTU’s greatest contribution to the business jet community.
Low pressure
It is in low pressure turbine (LPT) technology that MTU Aero Engines particularly excels. It designs and manufactures this assembly for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW300 engine (for the Hawker 1000, Learjet 60, Cessna Sovereign, the G200, Falcon 7X and the Dornier 328Jet) and the PW500 (for the Cessna Bravo and Excel XLS). In fact MTU’s work on the LPT for these engine types contributes 10% of the company’s total commercial revenues – excluding the maintenance revenues that result from the aftermarket support of these engines.
Anton Binder, Senior Vice President Commercial Programs of MTU Aero Engines, and Martin Wiedra, Program Director of the Pratt & Whitney Canada Program, explain that MTU started working with Pratt & Whitney Canada on the PW300 program in the early 1980s, after which it joined the PW500 development campaign. “We have a very close relationship with our partner, Pratt & Whitney Canada,” comments Binder. He explains that MTU focused – very early on – on the LPT, which is considered very much an area of expertise for the manufacturer; and it is not just an LPT expert in relation to these particular engine types. Binder remarks that cooperation with Pratt & Whitney Canada did not come about by accident; the engine programmes were launched very much as a partnership. “We design and manufacture the LPT completely – we do bring in some parts from suppliers but we fully integrate these parts– then we deliver the whole LPT as a subsystem to our partner,” he says. To date, MTU has delivered LPTs for over 4,000 PW300/PW500 engines.
There is a reason Binder and Wiedra are confident in MTU’s LPT technology: the company has designed around 20 such subsystems in the past. “We have significant capability and this capability results in very efficient LPTs. We try to provide a benchmark for such systems,” remarks Binder. MTU Aero Engines has also developed a high level of capability in designing and manufacturing high pressure and low pressure compressors but not for business jet applications. “The expertise for those modules comes from the military group,” says Binder.
Fuel and eco concerns
After acquisition costs, perhaps anyone considering acquiring a business jet is most likely to concern himself with operating costs and, specifically, fuel burn as well as the environmental implications of that fuel consumption. Engines cause noise and emissions but efficient engines can significantly reduce their impact on the planet. Binder is at pains to point out that minimising engine noise is important not only from the perspective of the environment but, in the case of business jet applications, engine noise can detract hugely from the enjoyment of the flight itself. However, he explains that most of an engine’s noise is derived from the engine fan rather than the LPT, albeit that noise reduction in subsystems is desirable. “At the exit of the LPT there is a lobed mixer which we use to reduce the noise as much as possible,” clarifies Binder.Besides the environmentally friendly operation of an engine, also of importance is the green design, manufacturing and after market of the engine. One of MTU’s goals is to eliminate “materials of concern” from its products by selecting materials and processes that are environmentally friendly.
Fit for purpose
Enhanced engine technology is intrinsic to the future of the market, but equally important to today’s market is ensuring that the private jet fleet is fit for purpose; and this means appropriate maintenance provision is made for these engines. MTU's network of maintenance shops puts the company in pole position as one of the largest full engine maintenance providers. MTU Maintenance is an affiliate of MTU Aero Engines which extends across four sites: Hannover, Berlin-Brandenburg, Canada and Zhuhai. In terms of private jet maintenance, MTU Maintenance addresses the aftermarket requirements of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6A (for the Beech King Air, the Beech Meridian and the Pilatus PC-6), JT15D (for the Beechjet 400T and the Cessna Citation), PW300, PW500 and GE’s CF34 (for the Challenger 604/605 and the Embraer Lineage).
MTU also operates a number of joint ventures. First there is Airfoil Services in Malaysia which is operated in equal partnership with Lufthansa Technik where the core competency is the repair of low-pressure turbine blades. Second there is the Ceramic Coating Center which is a 50:50 joint venture between MTU Aero Engines and Snecma Services, specialising in the deposition of ceramic coatings on engine blades. Finally there is the Pratt & Whitney Canada Customer Service Centre Europe, Ludwigsfelde, Germany, which is a 50:50 joint venture between MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg and Pratt & Whitney Canada. It supports customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Flying forward
The last few years in the business jet community has seen a large number of new aircraft announcements and many of those new aircraft have come to fruition. However, new aircraft cannot come to the market without the appropriate propulsion technology behind them. What is MTU Aero Engine’s role in the future shape of the market? “There is very close communication and evaluation going on with our partners in relation to different proposals,” says Binder. “The airframe manufacturers and the end customers would like to have the latest engine technology but they do not want to take the risk. The procedure we take to mitigate the risk is to verify the technology programmes through different rig tests.”
Nevertheless, despite new technology nervousness, Binder and Wiedra are always looking forward: “We are always looking for the next application” says Binder. “Today we are working on subjects which will not fly for five to 10 years.”
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