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| September 29, 2004 No.1022 | ||
| MHI to Participate in Development of Rolls-Royce Aero-engine For Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner |
| Tokyo, September 29, 2004 -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce plc to participate in joint development of the Trent 1000, a new aero-engine for the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner, an all-new commercial aircraft. Under the agreement, MHI will be responsible for the design and manufacture of the combustor module and others, core parts of the engine. MHI will share 7% of the program. |
The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 is one of two engines selected by Boeing for the 7E7. Both engine types will use the same standard interface with the aircraft. The Trent 1000, a new variant of Rolls-Royce's successful high-thrust Trent engine series, will have ratings across a range of 53,000 to 70,000 lb thrust. The new engine, incorporating Rolls-Royce's proprietary three-shaft design configuration, will achieve remarkably higher combustion efficiency and also contribute to environmental compatibility by reducing gas emissions by 20%. For MHI, its participation in the Trent 1000 development program is an ideal opportunity not only to secure its commercial aero-engine business, following Pratt & Whitney's PW4000 series engine program, but to strengthen its international competitiveness of core technology for aero- engines, by joining in its development from initial designing stage. The mid-size 7E7 will be a family of three airplanes. The 7E7-8 Dreamliner and 7E7-9 will carry 217-257 passengers in a three-class seating configuration on routes of up to 8,500 and 8,300 nautical miles (15,700 and 15,400 kilometers), respectively. The shorter-range 7E7-3 Dreamliner will accommodate 289 passengers in a two-class configuration and be best suited to routes in the vicinity of 3,500 miles (6,500 kilometers). The 7E7 will enter into service in 2008. After All Nippon Airways, the first customer to launch the new aircraft, ordered 50 planes in April 2004, Boeing has received an order for two 7E7s from Air New Zealand and a total of 10 from two European carriers. Air New Zealand has selected Trent 1000 engines for the 7E7s it has ordered. To date the company has participated in commercial aero-engine development programs including Pratt & Whitney's PW4000 (participation share: 10%), PW6000 (7.5%) and JT8D-200 (2.8%), and International Aero Engines' (IAE) V2500 (3.45%). Rolls-Royce owns a 32.5% stake in IAE. MHI already enjoys a cooperative relationship with Rolls-Royce through the V2500 program, but this will mark its first participation in development of the Trent series, Rolls-Royce's core aero-engines. # # #
About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,593 billion yen (US$21.6 billion) in fiscal 2002 (year ended March 31, 2003). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp). PRESS CONTACT: Hideo Ikuno: h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp Tel: +813-6716-5277, Fax: +813-6716-5929 Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) |
