Commercial and military airplanes, helicopters, spacecraft… the SAFRAN Propulsion branch powers just about every type of air and space vehicle on display at the Paris Air Show. The 46th edition gets off the ground against a backdrop of an accelerating market recovery, with major new contract announcements already made or expected. We talked to Jean-Paul Herteman, head of the Propulsion branch, to take stock of the situation.
What do you expect of this year’s air show?
It’s a great opportunity to watch the first demonstration flights of the A380, the culmination of an exceptional story, in which our branch has played an important role. Snecma and Techspace Aero have a 17.5 percent stake in the GP7200 engine from the Engine Alliance, an equal venture of Pratt & Whitney and General Electric. Although it’s not on the first aircraft, the one flying at Le Bourget, the GP7200 has already won orders for more than half of all A380s ordered. Other than that, we are not expecting any particular event, except of course for the many contacts with our customers and partners, which is after all the very essence of any air show.
What about current developments at the Propulsion branch itself?
We’ve got some very good products on offer just as the commercial aircraft engine market is taking off once again, and the helicopter turbine market is very strong as well. We should be able to take full advantage of the market upturn. The space sector is also front page news. Don’t forget that we successfully returned Ariane 5 ECA to flight status a few months ago. And then there’s SMA, a small company developing a diesel engine for general aviation applications. We decided to continue developing this engine on our own after the withdrawal of our two partners, Renault and EADS. SMA is moving forward with the support of its main shareholder SAFRAN, and I’m sure that our efforts will bear fruit.
Certain contracts have been announced, including the sale of new engines (CFM56, GE90, etc.) along with aircraft orders, plus burgeoning service business, especially for commercial airplanes. Another highlight at the show was CFM International’s announcement that it is launching a second R&T plan, in preparation for the next generation of single-aisle aircraft engines. This is a key program. Commercial aviation will only enjoy sustainable growth if we can bring out more environmentally-friendly products. That’s the focus of our current research, which should allow us to halve engine noise and emissions in the coming years – all while continuing to ensure economic viability for our customers by lowering their cost of ownership even more.
Can you see the initial impact of the formation of the new group at this air show?
Yes, in fact industrial synergies between Sagem Défense Sécurité and Snecma have already resulted in a development program concerning the in-flight monitoring of engines, to track engine health in real time. Furthermore, the SaM146 for the RRJ regional jets will be the first time that Sagem Défense Sécurité’s expertise has been incorporated in electronic control units for aircraft engines.
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