CFM International has delivered the first advanced LEAP-1B engines to Boeing to support factory rollout of the first 737 MAX airplane before the end of the year and its first flight in early 2016.
CFM is executing the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in its history. Currently more than 30 LEAP engines (all three models) are on test or in final assembly and the program has logged a total of nearly 6,150 certification ground and flight test hours and 12,400 cycles.
In addition to the LEAP-1B engine, the 737 MAX incorporates advanced technology winglets and other improvements to deliver 20% lower fuel consumption than the first Next-Generation 737s delivered. Boeing has received orders for 2,898 of the 737 MAX aircraft from 59 customers. The first delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.
The engine incorporates many firsts including 3-D woven carbon fiber composite fan blade and case, one-of-a-kind debris rejection system, fourth-generation 3-D aerodynamics, first commercial use of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), revolutionary combustor design featuring fuel nozzles grown using additive manufacturing and light-weight Titanium Aluminide airfoils.
In addition to a dramatically lower noise signature, the lower weight and higher durability of these components will result in a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency and a reduction in CO2 emissions (providing a 50% margin to new emissions regulations).
