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GE CF34 Engine Orders and Options Top $10 Billion

July 24, 2000

FARNBOROUGH - CF34 engines continue their leading role in regional aviation, as evidenced by GE Aircraft Engines' growing order book, which already surpasses $10 billion dollars in firm orders and options for the established CF34-3 engines as well as the newly introduced CF34-8 and -10 engines.The CF34-3 series turbofan engines, which have surpassed 5 million flight hours powering Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 aircraft, have significantly impacted regional aviation since entering revenue service in 1992, setting new standards in engine reliability and performance.Now, the new members of the CF34 family-the larger, more powerful CF34-8 and -10 series engines-are the powerplants of choice for most of the new 70- to 90-passenger regional jets. Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries is a risk- and revenue-sharing partner in the CF34-8 and CF34-10 programs, responsible for approximately 30 percent of the engine components. The CF34-8C1, the first of the next-generation CF34 engines, has been selected as the powerplant for Bombardier's 70-passenger CRJ700 regional airliner, and the CF34-8C5 will power the 90-passenger CRJ900. All CF34-8C1 engine certification testing was successfully completed ahead of schedule, resulting in the early awarding of the engine type certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in November 1999. The type certificate from the Joint Airworthiness Authorities of the European Community was awarded in May of this year. Flight testing of the CRJ700 began in May 1999 and is to be completed this month, followed by entry into revenue service with Brit Air of France during the fourth quarter of this year. The CF34-8D, the powerplant for Fairchild Dornier's 50-passenger 528JET and 70- to 85-passenger 728JET regional airliners, as well as its Envoy 7 corporate jet aircraft, will begin engine testing during the third quarter of this year. Fairchild Aerospace will initiate flight testing of the 728JET during the first quarter of 2002, with entry into service with launch customer Lufthansa CityLine GmbH targeted for 2003. Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica, S.A. ( Embraer) selected the CF34-8E to power its 70-passenger ERJ-170 aircraft. Engine testing will begin during the third quarter of this year, while first flight of the ERJ-170 is scheduled for September 2001. Concurrent FAA certification of the engine and aircraft is targeted for the second quarter of 2002, followed by entry into service with launch customer Crossair of Switzerland in the fourth quarter of 2002.Conceptual design work for the CF34-10 series engines was completed in late 1999, and preliminary design work was completed during the second quarter of this year. Detail design and concurrent engineering is now under way, as are integration of the CF34-10D and the 928JET at Fairchild Aerospace and integration of the CF34-10E and the ERJ-190 at Embraer.The first CF34-10 engine will enter testing during the first quarter of 2002, leading to FAA certification targeted for early 2003.