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Safran Aircraft Engines

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Safran Aircraft Engines,previouslySnecma(Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation) orSnecma Moteurs,is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered inCourcouronnesand a subsidiary ofSafran.It designs, manufactures and maintainsenginesfor commercial and militaryaircraftas well asrocket enginesforlaunch vehiclesandsatellites.

Safran Aircraft Engines
FormerlySnecma
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAerospace
Defence
Founded1945;79 years ago(1945)
Headquarters
Courcouronnes
,
France
Key people
Olivier Andriès (CEO)
ProductsAircraft engines
Rocket engines
RevenueIncrease€11.88 billion (2023)[1]
Increase€2.39 billion (2023)[1]
Number of employees
15,700 (2016)
ParentSafran
Websitesafran-aircraft-engines.com

Some of its notable developments, alone or in partnership, include theDassault Rafale'sM88engine, theConcorde'sOlympus 593,theCFM56andCFM-LEAPfor single-aisle airliners, as well as theAriane 5'sVulcainengine.

The company employs around 15,700 people across 35 production sites, offices, andMROfacilities worldwide and files an average of nearly 500patentseach year.

Safran Aircraft Engines also notably operates two joint ventures withGE Aerospace:CFM International,the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines,[2]and CFM Materials.

Timeline

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  • 1945: Snecma was formed when the French aircraft engine manufacturerGnome & Rhônewas nationalised. The name 'Snecma' was anacronymforSociété nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation(in English: 'National Company for the Research and Construction of Aviation Engines').
  • 1946: Initial employees were German engineers, primarily from BMW, located in Decize, France. Group was known as Groupe "O" until 1950. First design product was theATAR engine.
  • 1946 or 1947, the nationalizedÉtablissments RegnierMotor Company was absorbed into Snecma and continued to produce theSNECMA Régnier 4L.
  • 1961: Snecma andBristol Siddeleyformed a joint venture to produce a high-performance jet engine for theConcorde.The main body of the engine came from theBristol Olympus,which was further improved with several refinements including the addition of the variable intakes necessary for supersonic flight.
  • 1968: Snecma acquiredHispano-Suiza,SocataandBugatti.
  • 1970:Messierand Snecma agreed to merge theirlanding gearbusiness. The following year, Messier-Hispano was formed, which was fully acquired by Snecma in 1973. Snecma's landing gear business was further consolidated by the creation of Messier-Hispano-Bugatti (later renamedMessier-Bugatti) in 1977.
  • 1974: Snecma andGeneral Electric(GE) created a joint venture namedCFM International,beginning a long term cooperation to produce theCFM56series ofturbofan engines.
  • 1990: Snecma announced its partnership withGeneral Electricto build and produce theGeneral Electric GE90engine.
  • 1994:Messier-Dowtywas formed following the merger of the landing gear businesses of Snecma (Messier) and the BritishTI Group(Dowty).
  • 1997: Snecma fully acquired theSociété européenne de propulsion.[3]
  • 1998: Snecma took full control of Messier-Dowty.[4]
  • 1999: Snecma Services was created to consolidate all maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations (including Sochata-Snecma).
  • 2000: Snecma acquiredLabinal,along with itsTurbomecaand Microturbo subsidiaries.
  • 2001: Hurel-Hispano (now renamed and known as Safran Nacelles) was created to consolidate the group's enginenacelleand thrust reverser business.
  • 2005: Snecma merged with Sagem to formSafran.Snecma was divided into two divisions of the new group (propulsionand equipment).
  • 2010: Snecma andGEformed CFM Materials as a 50/50 joint venture.
  • 2016: Snecma was renamed Safran Aircraft Engines as the main subsidiary ofSafran.

Major programmes

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In terms of volume, the most impactful commercial aero engine produced by Safran Aircraft Engines is theCFM International CFM56turbofanpowerplant. This engine is both developed and manufactured via a 50-50joint venturecompany,CFM International,which Safran jointly owns with the American industrial conglomerateGeneral Electric(GE). Established during the 1970s, the CFM56 was not an early success; by April 1979, the joint venture had not received a single order in five years and was allegedly two weeks away from being dissolved.[5]The program was saved whenDelta Air Lines,United Airlines,andFlying Tigerschose the CFM56 to re-engine theirDC-8s;shortly thereafter, it was also selected to re-engine theKC-135 Stratotankerfleet of theUnited States Air Force,this operator being the engine's biggest customer.[5]Following this turn of fortune, tens of thousands of engines have since been produced over the decades. A total of 30,000 CFM56s have been completed by July 2016.[5]

Safran Aircraft Engines is also the main partner for several other engines coproduced with GE, including theCF6-80andGE90.[6][7]Safran Aircraft Engines is also involved in theEngine Alliance,which manufactures theGP7000high-thrust turbofan engine, one of the only two powerplants certified to power the twin-deckerAirbus A380.[8][9]During the 2010s, Safran started manufacturing its portion of theLEAPengine via the CFM International joint venture; Safran and GE each assemble half of the annual volume.[10]To cope with high demand for the LEAP engine, CFM has duplicated supply sources for 80% of parts and as well as subdivided assembly sites.[11]

Safran Aircraft Engines is also involved inPowerJet,a joint venture business with Russian aero engine specialistNPO Saturn;this company producesSaM146turbofan engine, which is used to power theSukhoi Superjet 100regional jet.[12]During 2005, a new production plant was founded in Rybinsk,VolgAero,to manufacture components of the SaM146; additionally, parts and assemblies of other engines produced by PowerJet's two parent companies are also produced on this site.[13]

In terms of military engines, Safran Aircraft Engines produces theSnecma M88turbofan. This engine was developed to power theDassault Rafalefighter aircraft.[14]It fulfills numerous stringent performance criteria, including a highthrust-to-weight ratio,low fuel consumption across all flight regimes, and a long engine life.[15]Additional considerations were afforded to both the M88's maintainability and upgrade potential (73 kN to 105 kN using the same core).[16][17][18]Qualification of the M88-2 engine was completed during 1996 while the first production engine was delivered by the end of that year. It is of amodulardesign for ease of construction and maintenance, as well as to enable older engines to be retrofitted with improved subsections upon availability, such as existing M88-2s being upgraded to M88-4E standard.[19]In May 2010, a Rafale flew for the first time with the M88-4E engine, an upgraded variant with greater thrust and lower maintenance requirements than the preceding M88-2.[20]

TheEuroprop TP400engine on static display at theParis Air Show,2017

In 2002, theEuroprop International(EPI) consortium was set up by four aero engine manufacturers, Safran Aircraft Engines, Germany'sMTU Aero Engines,Britain'sRolls-Royce Holdingsand Spain'sIndustria de Turbo Propulsores.[21][22][23]EPI GmbH is tasked with designing, developing, marketing, manufacturing and providing support for theTP400-D6turbopropengine to power theAirbus A400M Atlas,a military airlifter manufactured byAirbus Defence and Space.[24][25][23][26]The TP400 is the most powerful turboprop in the world currently in production.[27][28]

open rotor concept

During 2008, theEuropean Commissionlaunched anopen rotordemonstration led by Safran within theClean Skyprogram with 65 million euros funding over eight years: a demonstrator was assembled in 2015, and ground tested in May 2017 on its open-air test rig inIstres,aiming to reducefuel consumptionand associated CO2emissions by 30% compared with currentCFM56turbofans.[29] With its 30:1bypass ratio,it should deliver a 15% improvement over theCFM International LEAPalready at 11:1; butAirbusis more interested in the more conventional Ultra High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) turbofan at 15:1, which could be introduced from 2025, offering 5% to 10% better efficiency than the LEAP and to be tested from 2020.[30]Built around the M88's core, the fan blades are slower than the 1980sGE36due to the reduction gear, loweringnoiseand the fan can be mounted at the engine front for under-wing configurations.[31]Thegearboxand the bladevariable-pitchtechnologies were validated in 100 cycles and 70 hours of tests, including 25% at takeoff thrusts of 21,000–25,000 lbf (93–111 kN),reverse thrust,and rotor imbalance with a blade weight. Afterwards, it was disassembled in April 2018 to examine each part and refine expectedwearpredictions. GE Aviation was involved through its Italian subsidiaryAvioAero, providing the gearbox and the low-pressure turbine. To be certified, a blade-out event have to be extremely improbable, less than once every billion flight hours as itsRTMcarbon fiber fan blades will be supported by the in-service LEAP experience.[32]

During December 2019, Safran and MTU announced an agreement to found a 50/50 joint venture to manage the development, production, and after-sales support activities of the new military aero engine intended to power theFuture Combat Air System.[33]

In June 2021, Safran presented an updated architecture for its RISE open rotor concept, with a single to 144-156 in (365-396 cm) fan with variable pitch blades forward of a row of static guide vanes, to deliver 30,000lb of thrust (133 kN) with 20% better efficiency than theCFM LEAP.[34]

Products

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CFM International CFM56powering several airliners.
M88used on theDassault Rafale.

Aircraft

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Commercial engines

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Model name Corporate Share
CFM International CFM56 CFM International 50%
CFM International LEAP CFM International 50%
PowerJet SaM146 PowerJet 50%
General Electric GE90 GE Aerospace 23.5%
General Electric CF6 GE Aerospace 10-20%
Engine Alliance GP7000 Engine Alliance 10%
Safran Silvercrest Safran (under development)

Military engines

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Turbofans

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Turboprops

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Space engines

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Sites

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ab.Safranhttps://www.safran-group.com/fr/espace-presse/safran-publie-ses-resultats-annuels-2023-2024-02-15.Retrieved15 February2024.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  2. ^"• Global aircraft engine market share by manufacturer | Statista".
  3. ^"Societe Europeenne De Propulsion (France)".Jane's Space Systems and Industry.12 April 2005.Retrieved18 March2009.
  4. ^"Snecma lands in full control of Messier-Dowty as TI sells out".Flight Global. 17 December 1997.Retrieved30 December2019.
  5. ^abc"30,000th CFM56 engine comes off the production-line"(Press release). CFM international. 12 July 2016.
  6. ^"First Year in Service for GE90 a Huge Success"(Press release). GE Aviation. 18 November 1996.
  7. ^"commercial aircraft engines -GE90"(PDF).Snecma.Safran.
  8. ^"Engine Alliance, LLC: Private Company Information".Bloomberg.Retrieved24 June2016.
  9. ^About Us | Engine AllianceArchived14 March 2012 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^"CFM confirms initial LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B assembly allocation".MRO Network.15 December 2016.Retrieved24 December2017.
  11. ^"New GE plant highlights CFM ramp-up strategy on Leap".Flight Global.16 November 2016.
  12. ^Kaminski-Morrow, David (23 June 2010)."EASA certifies PowerJet SaM146 for Superjet".Flight Global.
  13. ^Fitzsimons, Bernard (25 July 2007)."Sum of Superjet's parts more than an airplane".AINonline.
  14. ^Flight International1983, p. 1,294.
  15. ^Williams 2002, pp. 92, 96.
  16. ^Williams 2002, p. 96.
  17. ^Moxon 1996, p. 26.
  18. ^Norris and Sedbon 1991, p. 35.
  19. ^"Snecma M88".Flightglobal.9 June 1999.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2013.Retrieved12 January2013.
  20. ^"Rafale Fighter Flies with Upgraded M88-4E Engine".Defense Talk.7 May 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2013.Retrieved15 January2013.
  21. ^"EUROPROP INTERNATIONAL".Safran Aircraft Engines.1 April 2015.Retrieved18 July2019.
  22. ^"TP400-D6 - MTU Aero Engines".www.mtu.de.Retrieved18 July2019.
  23. ^ab"TP400-D6".www.rolls-royce.com.Retrieved18 July2019.
  24. ^"TP400-D6 - MTU Aero Engines".www.mtu.de.Retrieved18 July2019.
  25. ^"TP400-D6 - MTU Aero Engines".www.mtu.de.Retrieved18 July2019.
  26. ^"EPI achieves the assembly of the 400th TP400 turboprop".Safran Aircraft Engines.18 July 2018.Retrieved18 July2019.
  27. ^"TP400-D6 turboprop engine - Europrop International".Europrop.Retrieved18 July2019.
  28. ^"TP400".Safran Aircraft Engines.22 May 2015.Retrieved18 July2019.
  29. ^"Safran celebrates successful start of Open Rotor demonstrator tests on new open-air test rig in southern France"(Press release). Safran. 3 October 2017.
  30. ^Guillaume Lecompte-Boinet (4 October 2017)."Safran Inaugurates Open-rotor Test Program".AIN.
  31. ^Antony Angrand (10 May 2019)."Safran ponders open rotor options".Air & CosmosInternational.pp. 22–23.
  32. ^Dubois, Thierry (5 April 2018)."Safran Says Counter-Rotating Open Rotor Engine Relevant".Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  33. ^"Janes | Latest defence and security news".Janes. 3 December 2019.
  34. ^Dominic Perry (14 June 2021)."CFM launches open rotor demonstrator, promising 20% better fuel burn for mid-2030s applications".FlightGlobal.
  35. ^"Safran Reveals New Turboprop Efforts".Aviation Week. 1 May 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 23 October 2013.Retrieved4 August2013.
  36. ^"Safran veut s'attaquer au monopole de Pratt & Whitney"(in French). aerobuzz.fr. 24 January 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2013.Retrieved4 August2013.

Bibliography

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