ATR 92

ATR says it has provided the business plan for a new generation turboprop with a target capacity of 90 seats to its parent companies, EADS and Finmeccanica, and is awaiting board approval to launch the programme.

Speaking at ATR’s annual results press conference, CEO Filippo Bagnato declared, “We’ve done what we said we would do. We checked the design with our customers and have received interesting suggestions to improve the product. We’ve also got feedback from our major suppliers, for example the potential performance of landing gear, avionics, and so on. We’ve given a bit more solidity to the project.

“Based on that solidity we have finished our first step business plan and delivered it to the shareholders. In 2013, they have a good base to discuss together,” he added.

Bagnato said the 90-seater, “while maintaining same design concept as today’s ATR – “simple” – is from an overall standpoint is another aeroplane. The ATR 72 cannot be stretched. Once we studied an ATR 82, [a programme] which was left on paper. Due to length limitation, it was not possible without changes to both the wing and the engine.”

Bagnato added that he would not enter any agreement on engines without the OEM “being able to give me two brothers. The family concept is a key point. Major equipment must have a good level of commonality”.

Bagnato explained that a likely scenario will to have the 90-seater as a new aircraft, but having a version of the new engine fitted to the current models. New airframe designs for the 50- and 70-seaters are unlikely. “If I was designing an ATR 72 from scratch now, I would not do much different [with the airframe structure],” he stressed.

In his presentation, Bagnato showed an exterior design for the new 90-seat aircraft in silhouette, featuring winglets and eight-bladed propellers, which he confirmed as part of the design.

Of the systems required for the new aircraft, nothing has been selected. Those expressing interest among the engine manufacturers include Pratt & Whitney Canada and GE, with Safran the latest to join the potential supplier list.

Bagnato did not give any expected date for entry into service of the 90-seater but noted that bringing a new aircraft to market usually takes 50-60 months after the official programme launch.

As for the most likely market for the aircraft, the CEO indicated that the current largest market, Asia-Pacific, would continue to lead the way. “In Indonesia, Wings Air is definitely interested. It has a population of about 350 million to serve across thousands of islands.”

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ATR has been talking about a 90-seat Next Generation Turboprop (NGT) for some time. The idea is to extend the current design and add much more powerful engines and updated systems. ATR has spoken of using a 5,000+ SHP engine from GE (GE38-1B as used on the Sikorsky CH-53K has 7,500 SHP), but Pratt & Whitney will also likely bid on this design. Below is a rendering of what the future ATR might look like.

The NGTs are likely to make extensive use of the flight deck technologies seen on pure jets such as Required Navigation Performance. ATR, as part of the EDS family, will almost certainly have the Airbus ProSky company Quovadis’ RNP package. The RNP system allows aircraft to fly precisely along a predefined route using on-board navigation systems and the GPS-based global navigation satellite system. Clearly this system helps reduce fuel burn and flying time – which is already an advantage for a turboprop over a jet. Since turboprops spend most of their time on shorter flights (~500 miles) time saved adds fast because of the many turns they do each day.

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Consensus is building among manufacturers and operators alike for a new 90-seat regional turboprop airliner, according to Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), which is eager to press ahead with its plans for a New Generation Regional Turboprop (NGRT) engine. Both ATR and Bombardier are known to be actively considering plans for larger members of their respective turboprop families and P&WC is stepping up development work to be ready for what it believes could be a pair of program launches next year.

According to Richard Dussault, P&WC marketing vice president for regional and helicopter markets, the airframers are broadly in agreement that the target speed for the new turboprop transports would be between 300 and 325 knots. In his view, the optimum speed will likely closer to 300 knots if they are to achieve the desired goal of a 20-percent reduction in fuel burn, compared to the PW100 family of engines, first certified 30 years ago and still serving the regional airline market.

For the envisaged 5,000- to 7,000-shp engine family, P&WC is tapping technology developed by sister company Pratt & Whitney for the PW1000G geared turbofan to power the new Bombardier CSeries and Mitsubishi Regional narrowbody jetliners, such as the new Talon combustor that delivers significant reductions in nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.

Fresh Demand

According to Dussault, fresh demand for both the ATR family of twin turboprops and Bombardier’s Q400 series is prompting both manufacturers toward a launch decision for new larger models up to a maximum capacity of 100 seats. In his view, a cruise speed of a little above 300 knots is optimum to preserve the fuel-burn advantage of turboprops over jets. In addition to conferring with the two leading airframers in the sector, the Canadian engine maker also has been in consultation with up to around 300 prospective airline operators worldwide and it believes there is sufficient interest to support the launch of new 90 seaters by both ATR and Bombardier.

“Back in 2003, there were only 24 [regional airliner] turboprops delivered at the height of jet mania,” said Dussault. “But when the price of oil went above $50 [per barrel] the economics changed completely. Turboprops consume 40 percent less fuel than jets on short segments, but jets are not standing still and this is why we need to achieve a further 20-percent reduction [in fuel burn]. I foresee a [regional airliner] market in which about 40 percent of the fleet is turboprops.”

Phase One Completed

P&WC has now completed phase one of the development work for the new turboprop, which mainly focused on testing compressor components. Earlier this year, the company shipped the first fully assembled compressor to MTU in Germany and tests of this unit to verified performance standards and load limits are almost complete.

“Certifying turboprop engines is complex work, involving the integration of the engine, the control system and the propeller before we test it in flight on a [Boeing] 747,” explained Dussault. “We’ve developed more than 37 different models of turboprop [not including the PT6 family], so we bring a low-risk option for the OEMs.”

The next task for P&WC is finalizing the exact requirements for the new engine before entering the post-contract phase of the development. This covers areas such as the amount of bleed air in the air management system, the control system architecture, as well as the engine’s electrical load and physical geometry.

Beyond that, the company would undertake the detailed design and procure hardware, with a view to conducting the first ground test within 18 months of program launch for the new aircraft. P&WC’s goal would be to achieve first flight on within 30 months and final certification within 42 months. “Everything now is about our readiness for when the market is ready for the new engine,” concluded Dussault.

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In the past three years, Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), the Toulouse-based Franco-Italian regional aircraft manufacturer, has tried hard to obtain shareholder approval to launch a 90-seat twin-turboprop to complement its current range of 44- and 72-seat aircraft. ATR is jointly owned by Finmeccanica and the Airbus Group (formerly EADS), as equal partners. This arrangement can and has impeded the decision-making process.

Finmeccanica, Alenia Aermacchi's parent, seeks to acquire more commercial business and it supports the envisioned all-new twin-turboprop, expected to be called ATR 92. However, top executives at the Airbus Group have rejected what they are calling an overzealous approach. “I don't understand such eagerness,” Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier said earlier this month. Late last year, Tom Enders, the Airbus Group's chairman/CEO, seemed to rank the project low on his list of priorities, creating bitter disappointment at ATR.

According to the turboprop manufacturer's in-house research team, an estimated 1,100 90-seat turboprops will enter service in the next 20 years and no more than three main competitors are expected to share the market. Archrival Bombardier will most likely launch an increased-capacity derivative of its Q400 and China could try hard to export the newly launched MA700 that was developed by Avic and is scheduled to enter service in 2019. The Chinese offering is a 78-80-seat aircraft, but a shortened-fuselage version is planned and a stretched variant is being considered. The latter could prove to be competition for the ATR 92, should either come to fruition.

ATR Chief Executive Filippo Bagnato strongly believes the time is ripe to launch a new program. In the last few years, the turboprop maker concluded orders for a record number of ATR 72s and is gradually increasing production to about 80 aircraft per year. Profitability has been restored, following several weak years. Company executives say the required investment to develop a new aircraft is a relatively modest $1.5-2 billion. However, Enders, Bregier and other Airbus Group leaders remain unconvinced, underscoring again that it is difficult to get major commercial transport manufacturers interested in “small” aircraft. The ATR 72 lists for $24.1 million while the catalogue price of the A320, Airbus's best-seller, is $102.8 million. List price for the A350 is $260.9 million and the A380 mega-transport goes for $414.4 million.

In other words, the Airbus Group, at least in its role as ATR co-owner, could be too big. However, the parent company rejects such criticisms. Previously, Airbus claimed its design office was overloaded by the concurrence of several types in the system—the A380 in its final development phase, the A350 in its initial (and demanding) design phase and the long-delayed A400M military airlifter, all of which involved thousands of engineers. But this is no longer true. The A380's wing problems have been resolved, the A350 is entering the production phase (although derivatives have not been frozen as yet), and the A400M is entering into service.

Perhaps launching a new turboprop is too much of a burden for relatively modest results. History does not favor ATR. For example, when a British partner (the British Aircraft Corp. BAE Systems' predecessor) temporarily joined the multi-national consortium that preceded EADS, it was denied a request to produce a regional twinjet in order to protect the BAe-146. So despite the emerging “jetmania” of that time, ATR remained confined to the turboprop market.

ATR executives, including Bagnato, are studiously avoiding a public airing of the response to their request. But the current freeze shows, again, how difficult European cross-border industrial collaboration can be, even without political interference or the negative effects of economic patriotism. It will be interesting to see if Finmeccanica can make a case for buying the Airbus Group's 50% stake in ATR to become the airframer's sole owner. For now though, this remains a politically awkward question.

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EwenS said:

Has this project not effectively been replaced by the Airbus ZEROe Programme? One of those designs is for an up to 100 seat turboprop with 1000 mile range with engines fuelled by hydrogen.

Airbus reveals new zero-emission concept aircraft

Airbus has revealed three concepts for the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft which could enter service by 2035. These concepts each represent a different approach to achieving zero-emission flight, exploring various technology pathways and aerodynamic configurations in order to...

www.airbus.com

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Apophenia said:

Alenia dubbed this ATR evolution as their TP90 (which is used in some Clean Sky documents too).

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Lc89 said:

Can they stop talking about "zero emissions" bullshit? They are not in the world to respect the environment, but to sell goods and services.

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dannydale said:

Lc89 said:

Can they stop talking about "zero emissions" bullshit? They are not in the world to respect the environment, but to sell goods and services.

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Some customers want lower emissions for whatever reason they please, and the customer is always right.

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