By Bill Rigby
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pratt & Whitney's new fuel-efficient jet engine could power the next generation of narrow-body planes in as little as four years from now, the operating head of parent United Technologies Corp (UTX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Wednesday.
The geared turbofan engine is just one of a number of new technologies aimed at airlines who want to make jets quieter, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run.
A breakthrough on engine performance is generally viewed as the critical point determining when leading plane makers Boeing (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Airbus (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) introduce their next lines of smaller planes.
"We have the engine, it's a question of priorities," United Technologies Chief Operating Officer Louis Chenevert told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington.
"Boeing and Airbus are fairly busy with big airplanes right now," he said. "Once they get over the challenges of those airplanes, there's no question what's next in line, the next generation narrow-body."
Pratt could have a geared turbofan engine ready for service on those planes as early as 2012, said Chenevert, but the lack of immediate interest from the world's two biggest plane makers meant 2015 was realistically the earliest date such an engine might play a role on their aircraft.
The company is in talks with all plane makers, said Chenevert, but he declined to discuss what stages talks were at. "The attraction for us is to mature this technology now and be ready."
Pratt, which is vying with rivals to develop a new engine for the world's biggest-selling commercial planes -- Boeing's 737 and the Airbus A320 family -- is basing its effort on the so-called geared turbofan engine. Continued...
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