At NBAA-BACE 2017 Las Vegas, Pratt & Whitney Canada brought forth some long awaited information about the development of a new 2,000-shp-rated PT6 engine.
Aviation Week reported that PWC has been facing pressure from competitors like General Electric and are looking to strengthen their market position in the high-power sector: “Electronic engine controls aren’t just there to start the engine – the PT6 already starts easily. It will enable us to integrate the propeller, the engine and the entire propulsion system in a way we’ve never seen before,” says P&WC general aviation marketing VP Nicholas Kanellias.
“It is something we have been working on for a while and been running in a test cell. I can’t tell you where it is going to go – but we are very happy with the progress so far,” Kanellias. According to Aviation Week’s industry sources, possible applications could include a larger Pilatus PC-12NG and a more powerful derivative of the Daher TBM900 family. Aviation Week also noted that P&WC president John Saabas said earlier this year that a “Super PC-12 or a bigger King Air” would benefit from such an engine.
A new large turboshaft “is going to create a new market. It is not about just replacing what we do, it is about creating the ability for aircraft manufacturers to build on our vision of more power and better efficiency and leveraging that electronic controller to enable a propulsion system that frankly has never been done before,” says Kanellias, ““will likely take the same approach as we do with PT6 today – we have PT6Cs that fly as turboshafts and we have large PT6 turboprops.”
Kanellias also mentioned that the upgraded control feature for the engine will not only simplify flying but also connect all P&WC’s digital systems and network together so that customers can know what is going on with their engine and maintenance plan integration; regardless of where they are in the world.
The engine is meant to fill a gap in P&WC’s product range: between the 1,750-shp PT6C-67C/E and 2,300-shp PW100 families. Aviation Week notes a running full demonstrator is expected by year’s end.