Airbus has solicited engine concepts for a narrow-body jetliner in improvement, drawing a proposal for a new geared design from General Electric.
GE’s preliminary proposal, disclosed in a court opinion that has since been sealed, reveals previously unreported talks between the engine maker and Airbus for what the court described as a “next-generation” airplane.
It was unclear whether or not the Airbus aircraft can be a new model or an upgrade to a plane already in the firm’s catalog, such as the A320neo or A220 single-aisle jets.
GE proposed using a geared turbofan system it’s developing, which it considered a “technologically preferred design for the next-generation narrow-body market,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit wrote in an opinion Wednesday.
The disclosure concerning the GE-Airbus discussions came in a years-long dispute over geared turbofan patents held by Pratt, which is a unit of Raytheon Technologies.
The technology – used for different aircraft in addition to the A320 family – allows the fan blades and turbine in an engine to rotate at different speeds for better effectiveness.
“GE Aviation regularly reviews alternatives with airframers, together with Airbus and Boeing, about engine technologies for the next era of plane. The details of those discussions are confidential,” the company mentioned by email.
Airbus equally didn’t disclose the nature of any discussions.
“We’re in constant dialogue with our engine makers about the latest state-of-the-art technologies and ongoing innovations,” the company stated by email “There is numerous research. Not all research see the light of day.”
The court decision also doesn’t say when GE proposed the new engine, when or whether or not the aircraft may come to market, or how far along any talks were.
The move to seal the court decision indicates the high level of curiosity in what’s next for Airbus.
Airbus is constructing an extra-long range model of its A321neo that may allow airlines to offer long-distance routes with the smaller, more fuel-efficent plane.
The A320neo family currently offers either LEAP 1A engines from a GE joint venture or Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G geared turbofan as choices. The neo, which stands for new engine possibility, is itself an extra fuel environment-friendly version of the A320.
Whereas Airbus is engaged in developing hydrogen-powered aircraft, aviation watchers have also puzzled whether a new conventionally fueled plane could be in the offing.
In October it was revealed that Boeing was in early-stage talks with airlines and engine-maker Rolls-Royce about a new medium-range single-aisle jetliner to problem the Airbus A321neo
The conversations centered on an early-stage idea with specifics that are in flux.
On the urging of Boeing’s new chief executive officer, Dave Calhoun, the Chicago-based firm scrapped plans for the so-called NMA, or new midmarket airplane, earlier this yr. That design, with an oval-shaped fuselage and a twin-aisle cabin, was focused at flights of about 5,000 nautical miles.
Instead, Boeing’s sales crew fanned out to discuss different proposals to replace its aging 757 and 767 jetliners and compete with Airbus.
The Boeing ideas included a big single-aisle jet, with a carbon-composite frame, able to hauling more than 200 passengers throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Its turbines would produce 50,000-pounds of thrust, the same requirement because the NMA’s engines.
Starting in 2016, Normal Electric launched an attack against Raytheon’s patents on gas-turbine engines, claiming they were taking credit for decades-old technology developed by GE or for processes that were broadly known within the industry
In all, 33 petitions have been filed at a assessment board throughout the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, most recently in January.
GE has had mixed luck on the agency, including knocking out a patent for a way to set the gear ratio in an engine. Last yr, the Federal Circuit, which handles all patent appeals, ruled that merely being a competitor of Raytheon wasn’t sufficient to give Boston-based GE the right to make use of federal courts to appeal a different case it had lost on the agency review board.
To overcome that decision, GE had to offer info to show that it “is ‘currently undertaking actions’ likely to lead Raytheon to sue it for infringement.” On Wednesday, the circuit held that GE had met that burden and will pursue its case.
Raytheon mentioned it was upset with the appeals court choice and that it was evaluating its choices. The case involves a single patent, Raytheon mentioned by email, and that it has “many different patents covering its revolutionary new GTF expertise.”
