A revolution in aviation? Airbus will test the A380 with an exposed bi-jet engine

Jan Boháč, 28. 7. 2022

• The new modification on the world’s largest airliner is expected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 20 percent

• The engine is supposed to be more environmentally friendly than any other used, powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

• Airbus estimates that the modified aircraft could appear on airlines in the second half of this decade

The largest airliner in the world, the Airbus A380, has been making a big comeback in recent months. Thanks to the high demand for travel associated with the end of anti-epidemic measures, airlines are gradually returning it to service, although they often did not count on it. Airbus is thus trying to come up with innovations that could make the aircraft even more attractive. In cooperation with the CFM International company, he has now presented a newly planned technology – an aircraft with an exposed two-jet engine.

The main aim of the project is to reduce emissions. According to estimates, they could drop by up to twenty percent. CFM, whose parent companies are GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, develops advanced propulsion technologies as part of its long-running Revolutionary Innovations for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program.

Lower consumption and sustainable fuels

The goal of RISE is to better understand engine-wing integration to improve overall aerodynamic performance. But it is also essential to achieve better fuel efficiency, which would reduce CO production₂ and ensured compatibility with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The aviation industry is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, which this technology could significantly support.

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After all, this is what the leading representatives of the aircraft manufacturer also hope for. “New propulsion technologies will play an important role in achieving zero emissions. At the same time, we are also trying to come up with new aircraft designs in which it will be possible to make better use of sustainable energy sources,” she said for CNN chief technical officer Airbus Sabine Klauke.

CFM International CEO Gaël Méheust also has high expectations for the project: “The CFM RISE program is primarily about advancing technological properties and redefining the art of the possible. Thanks to him, we should achieve more sustainable long-term growth in our industry.”

Testing will take a few more years

The project to create an exposed engine was presented last Tuesday at the Farnborough Air Show, near London, which is held every two years and traditionally presents the latest innovations in aviation. However, it still has a long way to go. CFM will now conduct engine ground tests and subsequent first flight tests at GE Aviation’s Victorville, California facility.

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After any modifications, the engine will be installed on board the A380. According to current plans, the first improved aircraft should take off sometime in the second half of the 20s, at the Airbus test center in Toulouse, France.

The exposed engine project is not the only result of the collaboration between CFM and Airbus. Already at the beginning of this year, both companies announced that they wanted to test an experimental hydrogen engine on the A380. It too should appear on commercial aircraft at the end of the current decade, its first test flights are planned for 2026.

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