CFM has announced that the core assembly for the first pair of CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power the Airbus A320neo is underway, marking the start of a production run that has amassed firm orders for more than 7,500 engines across all three new-generation variants.
The A320neo flight test engines are being assembled at General Electric's production facility in Durham, North Carolina, at the same time as the first LEAP-1C for COMAC's C919 is prepared for evaluation on the company's 747-100 flying testbed in Victorville, California. Ground tests of the LEAP-1B variant for the B737 MAX are also underway following the start of engine runs at Snecma's Villaroche facility in France in June.
Gareth Richards, LEAP programme manager for GE, said: "We will be certifying the LEAP-1A at the engine level in the second quarter of 2015, and then it goes on to power the A320neo."
CFM begins assembly of first LEAP-1A engines for A320neo
