With 70 percent of the design work completed on the CFM56-Lite, CFM International (CFMI) is prepared to meet market demands for the proposed new Asian 100-passenger aircraft.
The CFM56-Lite is a derivative engine tailored to this specific application. The engine will share a common core with the new CFM56-7 and improved performance CFM56-5B/P. This commonality will provide an added benefit to airlines already operating CFM56-powered fleets. To meet aircraft requirements for 18,500 to 22,000 pounds (82 to 98 kN) thrust, the CFM56-Lite will incorporate a 55-inch, solid titanium, wide chord fan.
The engine benefits from the advanced technology of both the CFM56-5B/P and -7, including 3-D aero design techniques and the proven low maintenance cost and high durability of the single-stage high pressure turbine. At the same time, the engine will maintain the industry standards for reliability established by the CFM56 family in more than 70 million flight hours. CFMI's primary objective is to provide the best propulsion system for this application in terms of performance, maintainability, reliability, and overall cost of ownership.
CFMI is using the Engine Development Cycle (EDC) process, which was used for the CFM56-7, to dramatically shorten the time to bring an engine to market. With the EDC, CFMI plans to certify the CFM56-Lite within three years of program launch, a schedule that is matched to the aircraft certification schedule.
CFMI sees a potential market for 1,200 aircraft of this size over the next 20 years and is holding ongoing business and technical discussions with all of the Asian participants in the joint development program.
CFMI is a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.