The European &lt;Airbus Industrie> consortiumtoday formally signed an agreement with the Franco-U.S. Group
&lt;CFM International> for an improved version of the CFM56-5
engine to power the A340-200 and A340-300 aircraft, an Airbus
statement said.
    Airbus said yesterday that it chosen the CFM56-5-S3 engine,
to be produced by &lt;General Electric> of the U.S. And &lt;SNECMA of
France, because the &lt;International Aero Engine> (IAE) high
technology superfan engine would not be ready by early 1992,
when the A340 plane is due to become operational.
    The five-nation IAE consortium has decided not to go ahead
with the proposed launch of the superfan, a spokesman for
consortium member &lt;Rolls-Royce Plc> said today, adding that the
project had not been cancelled and could be offered later on.
    Airbus said the CFM56-5-S3 will have a thrust of 30,600 lbs
and an improved fuel burn of four per cent compared with the
CFM56-5A1 which is now being operated on the A320 flight-test
aircraft. It will be available for deliveries of the A340 in
May 1992.
    At the same time, the Airbus statement said Airbus
Industrie and General Electric have concluded an accord for an
improved version of the GE CF6-80C2 engine, with 64,000 lbs of
thrust and a three per cent improvement in specific fuel
consumption, to power the A330 aircraft which will be
introduced in spring 1993.
    "This continues the long-standing history of all Airbus
launches being made with either GE or CFMI engines," Airbus
Industrie president Jean Pierson said in the statement.
    "Airbus Industrie has already worked with CFMI to launch one
new aircraft programme - the A320 - in early 1984, and is happy
to build on this relationship by launching the A340 with an
improved version of the same engine," Pierson said.
    Airbus Industrie said it has so far received a total of 128
commitments for the A340 and A330 from nine customers.
 Reuter
