MILWAUKEE, WI -- May 25, 2010 -- GE Aviation's CF34 engine, the best-selling engine in regional aviation history, recently surpassed 5,000 total deliveries.
"This is a remarkable achievement for the CF34 engine family," said Chuck Nugent, general manager of the CF34 program at GE Aviation. "We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of our customers for the success that the CF34 has achieved over the last two decades. As we look to the future, we are confident that the CF34 is -- and will continue to be -- the right choice for our customers' fleets, offering unmatched reliability, performance and value."
Every 8 seconds, a GE CF34-powered aircraft takes off somewhere in the world. On a daily basis, CF34 engines travel the equivalent of 210 times around the planet and carry 500,000 passengers to their destinations. With a dispatch reliability rate of 99.95 percent and more than 50 million flight-hours, the CF34 engine epitomizes the reliability and durability necessary for high-cycle operation.
The CF34 engine has benefited from GE's extensive research and development investments. Since the first CF34-3B1 engine entered service in 1995, GE has enhanced the engine's design and improved fuel consumption. The latest engine model, the CF34-10E, has 9 percent lower fuel consumption than the original -3B1 model.
For the next-generation CF34 engine, GE plans to further reduce fuel consumption by 15 percent compared with the CF34-10E engine. The technology program will maintain CF34's tradition of world-class reliability for high cycle use and will incorporate GE's eCore technologies, including 3-D aero design airfoils, advanced materials, and the next-generation TAPS combustor for reduced emissions. Core testing began in 2009. The engine could enter service as early as 2015.
Highlights of GE's CF34 engine family:
CF34-10E: With five years of service and more than 700 engines in operation with 36 customers, the CF34-10E engine has been performing well in the field, accumulating more than 3 million flight-hours and 2 million cycles. The engine has the highest thrust rating for the CF34 family with 20,000 pounds of thrust and includes many advanced technologies, including a single-stage high-pressure turbine, advanced wide chord fan blades, advanced 3-D aero compressor and turbine airfoils, and a chevron exhaust nozzle. The CF34-10E engine powers the EMBRAER 190/195 as well as the new Embraer Lineage 1000 business jet that entered service in mid-2009. For 2009, GE was recognized as Embraer's mechanical systems supplier of the year.
CF34-10A: The CF34-10A engine powers the new ARJ21 regional jet from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). Engine certification is on track, and flight tests on the ARJ21 continue. Entry into service is scheduled for 2011. COMAC has announced orders for 240 ARJ21 regional jet aircraft and sees a potential for up to 850 aircraft over the next 20 years. GE and COMAC have collaborated closely on the aircraft's detailed design and the aircraft/engine integration. For the past two years, GE has been recognized as COMAC's supplier of the year.
CF34-8: Since entering service in 2001, the CF34-8 engine has undergone many enhancements to lower part count, further improve durability and lower maintenance costs. More than 1,800 CF34-8 engines are in service on Bombardier's CRJ700 (CF34-8C1 & -8C5B1) and CRJ900 (CF34-8C5) and Embraer's 170/175 (CF34-8E5) aircraft. The engines have accumulated more than 16 million flight-hours and 12 million cycles. The CF34-8C1 has incorporated technology from the CF34-8C5 version to create a common engine for the CRJ700 and CRJ900. To date, more than 85 percent of the fleet has received the upgrade with the entire fleet to be completed by 2011. The upgrade provides either up to 5 percent thrust increase or up to 15 percent lower maintenance costs.CF34-3: In service since 1992, the CF34-3A1 and -3B1 engines power more than 1,000 Bombardier CRJ100/200 aircraft. An upgrade package will convert the CF34-3A1 to a CF34-3B1 to improve fuel burn and climb thrust capability.
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 and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information on GE Aviation, visit www.ge.com/aviation.
