Embraer rolls out first member of second-generation E-Jet family E190-E2

Embraer, the Brazilian aerospace conglomerate, rolled out the first of its second-generation E-family jets the E190-E2, on February 25th. Apart from a number of modifications the aircraft incorporates from the first-generation model, the greatest difference comes from the replacement of the General Electric CF34 engine with the Pratt & Whitney PW1900G, a geared turbofan engine which on its own will deliver an 11% reduction in fuel burn.
The E190-E2 will enter flight testing later this year, with delivery to its launch customer, which has not been disclosed, in 2018. According to Paulo Cesar de Silva, Embraer’s commercial aviation director, airlines have already placed commitments for over 600 of the new E2 series aircraft, a figure which includes approximately 270 firm orders. Silva went on to say that: “The reception of this aircraft in the market has been excellent.”
In striving for greater fuel economy and in addition the change of engine, Embraer have made modifications to the wingspan to create a longer and more fuel-efficient design, resulting in a 3.5% reduction in fuel burn. In addition to this, a fly-by-wire control system has been developed with Moog. This now allows the horizontal stabilizers to contribute to aerodynamic lift as opposed to counteracting the pitch-up force produced by the wing. This modification will provide an additional 1.5% reduction in fuel consumption.
The fly-by-wire system has been separated from the cockpit’s avionics system in order to make it simpler to add features that will not involve any adjustments to the flight-control surfaces. According to Luis Carlos Affonso, chief operating officer for Embraer Commercial Aviation, “[Fly-by-wire] is a very stable system during the life of the programme, whereas with the avionics you do have changes. We concluded it would be better in this specific case to make it federated.”