GEnx Now Undergoing Flight Testing

Buoyed by robust orders for the upcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliner, GE Aviation's "GEnx" turbofan has also been taking in business -- accumulating an order backlog of $10 billion, according to the company.

Taking orders past the $10 billion mark is a recent order from First Choice Airways, which selected the advanced turbofan to power its latest order for four additional Dreamliners, on top of its original launch order and a subsequent four-plane deal. The latest engine order is worth $125 million, making each GEnx worth about $15 million.

Like the Dreamliner -- which has racked up nearly 500 orders, even with the plane's first flight still months off -- the GEnx has tallied its own impressive order book despite not yet being in service. The engine, which sports composite fan blades and front fan casing -- recently began flight tests on GE's 747 testbed. GEnx development engines have accumulated more than 1,000 hours of testing in ground tests since March 2006.

The engine is slated to be certified by the end of this year.

Based on GE90 architecture, the GEnx will succeed GE’s CF6 family. GE states the GEnx will provide significantly better specific fuel consumption and payload performance than CF6 engines. The turbofan was developed specifically for the 787, as well as Boeing's 747-8.

FMI: www.geae.com