FADEC International and GE Aviation are forming a new joint venture to develop, produce, and support “full-authority digital electronic control” (FADEC) for aircraft engines and related specialized technologies. BAE Systems and the French aircraft and aerospace group Sagem are co-owners of FADEC Intl. The new FADEC Alliance, as the venture is called, will be the exclusive FADEC supplier for CFM International’s LEAP engine.
Those high-bypass turbofan engines are being developed by CFM International (also a joint venture, of GE Aviation and Snecma, a French aerospace manufacturer) and are destined to power the forthcoming Boeing 737Max (delivery date, 2017) and Airbus A320new (debuting 2015), both larger, more energy efficient power plants for long-distance commercial jets.
As the sole provider of control systems, FADEC Alliance will be responsible for the design, manufacture and aftermarket support.
The new partners said their venture would exploit FADEC International’s experience over 28 years supplying FADEC systems to GE since 1984.
“The creation of the FADEC Alliance joint venture continues FADEC International’s business relationship with GE onto the next generation of aircraft,” stated Dennis Slattery, president of FADEC Alliance and director of engine controls for BAE Systems. “The FADEC, utilizing fourth-generation, proven engine controls, will be a technological discriminator for CFM International’s LEAP engine.”
The LEAP engine is itself the result of a partnership: CFM International is a 50/50 partnership between GE and Snecma. In addition to Boeing and Airbus, the LEAP engine has been selected the Comac C919, a family of narrow-body jets being developed by Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China.
FADEC Alliance also will be exclusive supplier of digital control packages for GE’s Passport engine for ultra-long-range business jets. That design has been selected for the Bombardier Global 7000 and Global 8000 business aircraft.
