IAE International Aero Engines (IAE), the multinational consortium formed by Japanese Aero Engines Corporation (JAEC), MTU Aero Engines AG, and Pratt & Whitney, has reaffirmed its long-standing partnership as the group advances technologies for the next generation of highly efficient geared turbofan engines for future commercial aircraft.
JAEC Chairman Tsugio Mitsuoka said the consortium’s history underpins its future direction. “For more than four decades, IAE has enjoyed an enduring partnership and has delivered and supported two of the most important commercial engine programmes in history, the V2500 and the GTF engines. The GTF has delivered revolutionary improvements in fuel burn and noise reduction, and serves as the right baseline, combined with the evolution of the GTF Advantage, as the industry looks towards the right solution for the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.”
Pratt & Whitney president Shane Eddy echoed the sentiment, emphasising the partners’ united focus. “As founding partners on some of the most critical engine technology and support in aerospace today, we remain fully committed to these engine programmes and working together on the development of future commercial aircraft applications, particularly the next-generation single-aisle aircraft. As we work to chart IAE’s future propulsion path, our performance on today’s GTF programme will remain our highest priority as we continue to focus on delivering to our customer commitments.”
MTU CEO Dr Johannes Bussmann highlighted the consortium’s breadth of expertise. “Our contribution to the consortium’s wide-reaching success spans the entire engine lifecycle, with world-class capabilities in technology, development, production and MRO solutions. As strategic partners in IAE, we have a long-standing track record of reliably and consistently supporting each other in mastering ramp-up, growth and expansion for both the V2500 and GTF programmes.” He noted MTU’s continued expansion of its GTF MRO operations to meet rising demand.
Established in 1983, IAE has overseen some of the most significant commercial engine programmes in aviation. Its V2500 engine, which surpassed 300 million flight hours earlier this year, now powers around 2,800 aircraft operated by more than 150 carriers worldwide across passenger, cargo and military missions.
