Rolls-Royce Withdraws From Boeing NMA Race

Editorial Staff

Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Rolls-Royce has withdrawn from the competition to provide engines for Boeing's proposed New Midsize Airplane (NMA).
The company stated it cannot commit to the NMA's planned timeline, as its UltraFan engine requires a more rigorous testing regime than the timeframe allows.
The NMA powerplant choice is now between CFM and Pratt & Whitney, with Boeing targeting an official launch in 2020 and entry into service by 2025.

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Rolls-Royce has removed itself from the competition to power Boeing’s proposed New Midsize Airplane (NMA) platform. The company announced on Thursday that while it believes the NMA platform complements Boeing’s existing product range, it isn’t able to commit to the planned timeline for the project. Rolls-Royce says it will continue to develop the next-generation UltraFan engine it had proposed for the NMA.

“UltraFan is the foundation of our future large civil aero engine programs and we must ensure that it has as smooth an entry into service as possible,” said Rolls-Royce President Chris Cholerton. “We had begun its development before the Boeing opportunity emerged and it must undergo a rigorous testing regime before we offer it to customers, which we do not believe can be achieved within the NMA timeframe.”

The choice for the NMA powerplant is now down to options from CFM and Pratt & Whitney. Boeing has previously said that the NMA, which was proposed in 2015, will be available in 225-seat and 275-seat versions with a range of between 4,500 and 5,000 NM. If Boeing elects to pursue the NMA project, the official launch is expected in 2020, with entry into service targeted for 2025.