EVERETT, WASHINGTON -- Japan Airlines (JAL) took delivery today of its first GEnx-1B-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a ceremony at the Future of Flight Aviation Center near Everett, Washington. This is the first GEnx-1B-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be delivered, and JAL has orders for a total of 45 aircraft and options for an additional 20 GEnx-powered 787 Dreamliners.
GE Aviation Systems is also a key supplier on the Boeing 787 aircraft, providing the common core system and the landing gear actuation, indication and nose wheel steering systems.
"Today's delivery to JAL of the first GEnx-1B-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a proud moment for GE Aviation," said Bill Fitzgerald, vice president and general manager of Commercial Engine Operations at GE Aviation. "The GEnx-1B engine incorporates advanced technologies and material that dramatically improve fuel efficiency, performance, emissions and durability and is the culmination of many years of development efforts from GE employees, partners and suppliers located around the world."
"GE Aviation has a strong reputation of providing customers with a flawless entry into service, and we want this tradition to continue with the GEnx engine," explains Chuck Nugent, general manager of the GEnx Program at GE Aviation. "The GEnx-2B entry into services continues to run smoothly and we look forward to our GEnx-1B customers having this same experience."
The GEnx-1B engine is the best-selling engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the GEnx engine family is the fastest selling engine in GE Aviation history. About 800 firm GEnx-1B engines have been ordered to date from 26 customers, and these commitments are valued at $16 billion (USD) list price. A total of more than 1,300 GEnx engines have been ordered for the GEnx-1B for the Boeing 787 and GEnx-2B that powers the Boeing 747-8 aircraft and entered service last year.
In 2004, the GEnx was selected as an engine option to power Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Based on proven GE90 architecture, the GEnx engine will offer up to 15 percent improved fuel efficiency, which translates to 15 percent less CO2. The GEnx's innovative twin-annular pre-swirl (TAPS) combustor dramatically reduces NOx gases as much as 55 percent below today's regulatory limits and other regulated gases as much as 90 percent. In addition, based on the ratio of decibels to pounds of thrust, the GEnx is the quietest engine GE has produced, due to the large, more efficient fan blades that operate at slower tip speeds, resulting in about 30 percent lower noise levels. The GEnx is the world's only jet engine with both a fan case and fan blades made of carbon fiber composites. As a result, these components are lighter in weight, impact-resistant and impervious to corrosion.
Revenue-sharing participants on the GEnx are IHI Corporation of Japan, Avio SpA. of Italy, Volvo Aero of Sweden, MTU of Germany, TechSpace Aero of Belgium, Snecma (SAFRAN Group) of France and Samsung Techwin of Korea.
GE Aviation has been ramping up its production of GEnx engines over the last few years and plans to produce more than 160 GEnx engines this year, with plans to produce more than 200 GEnx engines in 2013.
The production ramp-up is increasing GEnx activity at GE Aviation's large network of production sites. These sites and their contribution to the GEnx engine are:
- Evendale, Ohio: Development test and program management
- Peebles, Ohio: Final assembly and checkout
- Asheville, North Carolina: Rotating parts
- Batesville, Mississippi: Composite fan platforms and cases
- San Marcos, Texas: Composite fan blades
- Dayton, Ohio: Ducts and tubes
- Durham, North Carolina: Engine hot section assembly
- Greenville, South Carolina: Turbine blades
- Hooksett, New Hampshire: Blisks, sectors & tubes
- Jacksonville, Florida: Turbine ignitions components, sensors & harnesses
- Lynn, Massachusetts: CDP seals
- Madisonville, Kentucky: turbine airfoils
- Manchester, Connecticut: Structures
- Middle River, Maryland: Thrust reversers
- Muskegon, Michigan: High pressure turbine nozzles, hangers and shrouds
- Rutland, Vermont: Airfoils
- Terre Haute, Indiana: Combustor assembly
- Wilmington, North Carolina: Rotating parts
- West Jefferson, North Carolina: Rotating parts
The Boeing 787 program has also increased production efforts at the following GE Aviation Systems location:
- Grand Rapids, Michigan: Common Core System
- Cheltenham, England: Remote data concentrators for the Common Core System, assistance on landing gear actuation system
- Yakima, Washington: Landing gear actuation system
The GEnx is part of GE's "ecomagination" product portfolio - GE's business strategy to develop new, cost-effective technologies that enhance customers' environmental and operating performance.
GE Aviation's common core system (CCS) provides the primary computing environment for the Dreamliner. The remote data concentrators (RDC) are designed to consolidate inputs from the aircraft's systems and sensors and distribute it via the aircraft's avionics full duplex switched Ethernet network. GE developed the common core system on the Wind River VxWorks 653 partitioned operating environment.
GE's integrated landing gear system controls the deployment and retraction of the aircraft landing gears, including the nose landing gear steering. In addition to the normal package of mechanical hardware, GE provides the flight deck interfaces and local control electronics.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.