Aviation

Top 15 things about World Largest Engine GE 9x for Boeing 777x

1.Crafting the GEnx jet engine is something of a puzzle—around 75,000 parts must come together just right to build the final product.

Top 15 things about World Largest Engine GE 9x Image courtesy : General Electrical

2. GE 9x Developed primarily for the new Boeing 777X, this behemoth is wider than the fuselage of a 737 jet and can generate more than 100,000 pounds of thrust

Top 15 things about World Largest Engine GE 9x Image courtesy : General Electrical & Boeing

3. This giant orb controls the wind intake during simulations of engine distress. Called the turbulence control structure (TCS), it’s 30,000 pounds of aluminum and stainless steel.

ORB : Image courtesy : General Electrical

Each of GE jet engines undergoes approximately 150 hours of simulated testing.

GE Testing center Image courtesy : General Electrical

5. GE 9x undergone rigorous testing to simulate real world conditions, from frightening sand storms to ice slabs as thick as cutting boards.

6. The GE90 is the most powerful jet engine in the world, with the quietest rumble of any engine in its thrust class. Acoustic panels installed in the engine’s fan case, pictured here, help reduce its noise signature.

GE 9x Engine fitted on 747-400 – Image courtesy : General Electrical

7. One of the ways we test whether a jet engine is sturdy enough for flight is by putting it through rigorous testing to simulate real world conditions, from frightening sand storms to ice slabs as thick as cutting boards. Here’s a look at the GEnx engine installed for testing at GE facility in Winnipeg.

8. A look inside our jetengine testing facility in Peebles, Ohio, where the walls of each of our testing cells are at least 20 feet thick. Built from special high-density concrete, made by vibrating the wet concrete down to squeeze out air and get rid of any weak spots, these testing cells are strong enough to simulate extreme conditions for GE jet engine.

Testing center : Image courtesy General electrical

9. The General Electric GE9Xis a high-bypass turbofan aircraft engine under development by GE Aviation for the Boeing 777X. Derived from the GE90

10. The first engine to test (FETT) completed its first test run in April 2016. With 375 cycles and 335 test hours.

Image courtesy : Boeing

11. GE 9x has the largest front fan at 134 inches in diameter with a composite fan case and 16 fourth generation carbon fiber composite fan blades

12. The GE9X went through icing tests in winter 2017. The FETT was finally used for 50 cold weathertest points such as ground fog or natural icing conditions,

13. The initial 777X flight-test engines will be shipped later in 2018 for an initial 777-9 flight in early 2019.

14. In 1995, the GE90 engine debuted aboard a British Airways 777 airplane along with commercial aviation’s first-ever carbon-fiber composite fan blades. Early GE90 engine models boasted outputs between 74,000 and 94,000 lbs. of thrust, and today it remains the world’s largest turbofan engine.

15. With the GE90, GE introduced the composite fan blade—the first-ever in commercial aviation. Measuring more than four feet long and weighing less than 50 pounds, the GE90 fan blade is made from carbon fiber and a toughened epoxy matrix that delivers double the strength and one-third the weight of titanium.

Source: GE Press releases & Boeing

Image courtesy: GE

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Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.