|
Navy Sets New Military 15,000 Hour
Time on Wing
LE BOURGET – June 16, 2003 - The U.S.
Navy has set a new military record for engine time on wing
with a CFM56-2A engine that has logged more than 15,000 flight
hours without a single shop visit. The CFM56-2A is produced
by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma
Moteurs of France and General Electric Company
The new record was set by a CFM56-2A engine powering an E-6
aircraft in service with the Navy's TACAMO (Take Charge and
Move Out) unit based at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma. In addition to the record-setting engine,
seven additional engines in this fleet have reached 14,000
hours without a shop visit, and a total of 45 engines have
surpassed the 10,000-hour milestone without a single removal.
To put this achievement into layman's terms, imagine driving
the same car for 500 years with nothing more than oil changes
and new spark plugs. The Navy has referred to the CFM56 engine,
which is the only engine in U.S. military service to achieve
more than 10,000 hours without a shop visit, as “arguably
the most reliable engine in the history of aviation.”
“This is a terrific example of the teamwork between
the Navy, Boeing, and CFM,” said Al DiLibero, general
manager of CFM Military Programs. “We at CFM salute
the hard work and positive attitude of every single military
and civilian person attached to this program. It’s testament
to the great work of the men and women of TACAMO and the reliability
and technology of the CFM56 engine.”
The 24,000-pound-thrust CFM56-2A entered service on E-6 aircraft
in 1990.
For military applications, the CFM56-2 has provided outstanding
benefits to its customers, including:
lower fuel burn for longer range, increased time on station,
and increased payload; dramatically improved reliability;
lower noise and emissions levels; and reduced field-length
takeoff and/or higher gross weight operation from high, hot
airfields.
# # #
For further information, contact:
Jamie Jewell
33.1.41.57.55.51
jamie.jewell@ae.ge.com
U.S.: 513.243.6890
Rick Kennedy
33.1.41.57.60.02
rick.l.kennedy@ae.ge.com
U.S.: 513.243.3372
Vincent Chappard
33.1. 41.57.55.30
vincent.chappard@snecma.fr
Paris: 33.1.40.60.80.18
|
|
