SAN ANTONIO, Texas/LYNN, Massachusetts - Fairchild Aerospace and GE jointly announced today that GE's CF34-8D turbofan engine will power Fairchild Aerospace's new 728JET.
The CF34-8D incorporates the service-proven reliability, environmental and operational characteristics of current CF34 models. The -8D has 100 percent common turbomachinery, a common FADEC (full authority digital electronic control), and 87 percent overall parts commonality with GE's CF34-8C1 engine, which is in an advanced stage of development. The CF34-8D propulsion system will incorporate a new nacelle/installation design specifically tailored to the 728JET.
Development of the 728 family began in July 1997. The new family will enter airline service in sequence, with the 728JET model first, followed by the 528JET and then the 928JET. GE also will provide the powerplants for the 528JET and 928JET, to ensure the highest commonality within the family and the thrust capability to meet future growth requirements. Other major vendor selection continues.
"After an extensive evaluation, we selected the -8D because GE offered the best combination of performance and economics for our program. The use of a propulsion system that has high commonality with an engine that is well along in its certification program lowers our overall program risk," said Fairchild Aerospace president Jim Robinson. "This is the first step in what will be a long-term, productive and successful cooperation between our two companies."
"We are extremely pleased with Fairchild Aerospace's selection of our CF34-8D for the 728," said Chuck Chadwell, GE's vice president of Commercial Engines. "This win gives the -8 line of the CF34 family even broader application opportunities and considerable impetus as we move into the next century. We look forward with great enthusiasm to working with the Fairchild Aerospace team, and we are committed to living up to their confidence in naming us as the supplier of engines for their family of new airliners."
The CF34-8D development plan is well synchronized with the Fairchild Aerospace program schedule and builds on GE's established -8C1 accomplishments and timing. First -8D engine testing is scheduled for the fourth quarter 1999 and will support the 728JET's first flight in the first quarter of 2000. Certification of the CF34-8D by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is targeted by GE for the first quarter 2001.
The 728JET family features extraordinary passenger comfort through 2+3 seating, separated by a wide aisle, in an interior cross section of 128 inches. Depending upon the cabin layout selected, the 728JET can have as many as 78 seats, the 528JET can have as many as 63 seats, and the 928JET can have 98 seats. All three aircraft can be configured for mixed first- and economy-class service. In every version, 728JET family members will offer more space per passenger than any modern narrow-body transport aircraft.
Fairchild Aerospace is a leading manufacturer of jet and turboprop aircraft for the regional aviation, corporate and government markets, and provides a wide range of sales, support, production and engineering services for the aviation industry. In addition to its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and facilities in Oberpfaffenhofen, Fairchild Aerospace has offices in: Colorado Springs, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Toronto, Canada; Sydney, Australia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.