| LEAP | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Mockup of a LEAP-X, the early code name of the engine | |
| Type | Turbofan |
| National origin | France/United States |
| Manufacturer | CFM International |
| First run | 4 September 2013[1] |
| Major applications | Airbus A320neo family Boeing 737 MAX Comac C919 |
| Number built | 2,516 (June 2019)[i] |
| Developed from | CFM International CFM56 General Electric GEnx |
TheCFM International LEAP ("Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion") is ahigh-bypass turbofan engine produced byCFM International, a 50–50joint venture between AmericanGE Aerospace and FrenchSafran Aircraft Engines. It is the successor of theCFM56 and competes with thePratt & Whitney PW1000G to powernarrow-body aircraft.
The LEAP's basic architecture includes a scaled-down version of Safran's low-pressure turbine used on theGEnx engine. The fan has flexible blades manufactured by aresin transfer molding process, which are designed to untwist as the fan's rotational speed increases. While the LEAP is designed to operate at a higher pressure than the CFM56 (which is partly why it is more efficient), CFM plans to set the operating pressure lower than the maximum to maximize the engine's service life and reliability.[6] Compared to the CFM56, the LEAP makes greater use of composite materials, has a second-generation Twin Annular Pre-mixing Swirler (TAPS II) combustor, and a bypass ratio around 10–11:1.
The high-pressure (HP) compressor operates at up to a 22:1 compression ratio, which is roughly double the corresponding value for the CFM56's HP compressor.[7]
CFM usesceramic matrix composites (CMC) to build the turbine shrouds.[8] These technological advances are projected to produce 16% lower fuel consumption.[9][10] Reliability is also supported by use of aneductor-based oil cooling system similar to that of the GEnx, featuring coolers mounted on the inner lining of the fan duct. According to Aviation Week's article, "The eductor device produces aventuri effect, which ensures a positive pressure to keep oil in the lower internal sump."[6] The engine has some of the first FAA-approved3D-printed components.[11]
The LEAP-1C for the Chinese-builtComac C919 reportedly lacks many of the improvements of the other LEAP models over concerns that thetechnology could be stolen and put into theCJ-1000A engine being developed by another state-owned manufacturer, theAero Engine Corporation of China. Experts believe that the LEAP-1C is actually an upgraded version of the prior-generation CFM56.[12]
The LEAP[13] incorporates technologies that CFM developed as part of the LEAP56 technology acquisition program, which CFM launched in 2005.[14] The engine was officially launched asLEAP-X on 13 July 2008.[9] It is intended to be a successor to theCFM56.
In 2009,COMAC selected the LEAP engine for theC919.[15] The aircraft was due to begin testing in 2016.[16]In total, 28 test engines will be used by CFM to achieve engine certification, and 32 others will be used byAirbus,Boeing andCOMAC for aircraft certification and test programs.[1][17] The first engine entering the test program reached and sustained 33,000 lbf (150 kN) of thrust, required to satisfy the highest rating for theAirbus A321neo. The same engine ultimately reached 35,000 lbf (160 kN) of thrust in test runs.[6]
CFM carried out the first test flight of a LEAP-1C inVictorville, California, with the engine mounted on the company'sBoeing 747 flyingtestbed aircraft on 6 October 2014. The -1C version features a thrust reverser equipped with a one-piece O-ring replacing a two-piece door. The thrust reverser is deployed by the O-ring sliding aft, reducing the drag that was induced by the older design and improving efficiency.[19]
In April 2015, it was reported that the LEAP-1B was suffering up to a 5% shortfall on its promised reduction in fuel consumption.[20]
It obtained its 180-minuteETOPS approval from the U.S.Federal Aviation Administration and theEuropean Aviation Safety Agency on 19 June 2017.[21]
On 20 July 2011,American Airlines announced that it planned to purchase 100 Boeing 737 aircraft featuring the LEAP-1B engine.[22] The project was approved by Boeing on 30 August 2011, as theBoeing 737 MAX.[23][24]Southwest Airlines is the launch customer of the 737 MAX with a firm order of 150 aircraft.[25]
The list price isUS$14.5 million[26] for a LEAP-1A, andUS$14.5 million for a LEAP-1B.[27]
CFM International offers rate-per-flight-hour support agreements (also known as "power by the hour" agreements) for the engine. For a LEAP-1A engine, costs are aroundUS$3,039 per engine, per day, compared toUS$1,852 per engine, per day for the prior-generation CFM56.[28]
In 2016, CFM booked 1,801 orders, and the LEAP backlog stood at more than 12,200, worth more thanUS$170 billion at list price.[2]
By July 2018, the LEAP had an eight-year backlog with 16,300 sales. At that time, more LEAPs were produced in the five years it was on sale than CFM56s in 25 years.[3]It is the second-most ordered jet engine behind the 44-year-old CFM56,[29] which achieved 35,500 orders.[3] Also, on the A320neo, where the engine competes head-to-head with thePratt & Whitney PW1000G, the LEAP had captured a 59% market share in July 2018. By comparison, the CFM56 had a 60% share of the prior-generationA320ceo market.[29][30]
In 2020, GE Aviation reported that CFM had lost 1,900 orders for LEAP engines worthUS$13.9 billion (US$7.3 million each), reducing the backlog value toUS$259 billion. More than 1,000 cancellations came fromBoeing 737 MAX orders being canceled among theBoeing 737 MAX groundings, while the remainder came from theimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation.[31]
In 2016, the engine was introduced in August on theAirbus A320neo withPegasus Airlines and CFM delivered 77 LEAP.[2] With the737 MAX introduction, CFM delivered 257 LEAPs in the first three quarters of 2017, including 110 in the third: 49 to Airbus and 61 to Boeing, and targets 450 in the year.[32] CFM was to produce 1,200 engines in 2018, 1,900 in 2019, and 2,100 in 2020.[33] This is compared to the 1,700CFM56 produced in 2016.[34]
To cope with the demand, CFM is duplicating supply sources on 80% of parts and even subdivide assembly sites, already shared between GE and Safran.[35] GE assembles its production inLafayette, Indiana, US in addition to its previousDurham, North Carolina, US facility.[35] As more than 75% of the engine comes from suppliers, critical parts suppliers pass “run-rate stress tests” lasting two to 12 weeks.[35]Pratt & Whitney acknowledges a production ramp-up bottleneck on its rivalPW1100G geared turbofan including a critical shortage of the unique aluminium-titaniumfan blade, hitting theAirbus A320neo and theBombardier CSeries deliveries.[35] Safran assembles its production inVillaroche, France, Safran and GE each assemble half of the annual volume.[36]Mecachrome plan to produce 120,000–130,000 LEAPturbine blades in 2018 up from 50,000 in 2017.[37]
In mid-June 2018, deliveries remained four to five weeks behind schedule, down from six, and should catch up in the fourth quarter as thequality variation ofcastings andforgings improves.[3] The production has no single manufacturingchoke point by selecting multiplesuppliers for every critical part.[3]
From 460 in 2017, 1,100 LEAPs should be built in 2018, along with 1,050 CFM56s, as it encountered unexpected sales, to pass the record production of 1,900 engines in 2017.[3] It will stay at over 2,000 engines per year as 1,800 LEAPs should be produced in 2019, while CFM56 production will drop, then 2,000 in 2020.[3] In 2018, 1,118 engines were delivered.[4]
Over the first half of 2019, CFM revenues were up by 23% to€5.9 billion with 1,119 engine deliveries; declining sales of CFM56 (258 sold), more than offset by LEAP (861 sold).[5] Recurringoperating income rose by 34% to€1.2 billion, but was reduced by€107 million (US$118 million) due to the negative margins and initial costs of LEAP production, before a positive contribution expected in the second half.[5] Revenues should grow by 15% in 2019 butfree cash flow depends on the return to service of thegrounded 737 MAX.[5]
In 2019, LEAP production rose to 1,736 engines, and orders and commitments reached 1,968 amid the 737 MAX groundings, compared with 3,211 for 2018, for a stable backlog of 15,614 (compared to 15,620).[38] CFM expects to produce 1,400 LEAP engines in 2020, including an average of 10 weekly LEAP-1Bs for the Boeing 737 Max.[38] By March 2022, CFM intended to output 2,000 engines in 2023, up from 845 deliveries in 2021.[39]In 2023, CFM booked over 2,500 orders, resulting in a backlog of 10,675, delivered 1,570 Leap engines, up by 38% from 1,136 in 2022, and was expecting 20-25% more deliveries for 2024.[40]
The troubled introduction of thePratt & Whitney PW1100G on the A320neo has motivated customers to choose LEAP engines. LEAP market share rose from 55% to 60% in 2016, but orders for 1,523 aircraft (29%) had not specified which engine would be chosen.[41] From January through early August 2017, 39 PW1100G engines versus 396 CFM LEAP engines were chosen.[41] By 2024, the LEAP was selected for 75% of the A320neo orders.[40] As an example of PW1100G reliability issues, 9% of LEAP-powered A320neos were out of service for at least one week in July 2017, compared with 46% of those using the PW1100G.[41]
A contract for the production of components for the low-pressure turbine of the LEAP engine was signed on February 12, 2025, between Safran Aircraft Engines and India's Titan Engineering and Automation Limited. Manufacturing will start from 2026.[42] An additional agreement was signed for manufacturing turbine forged parts withHindustan Aeronautics Limited.[43]
The Boeing 737 MAX LEAP-1B started revenue service in May 2017 withMalindo Air with 8 hours of daily operation, while the A320neo LEAP-1A surpassed 10 hours per day by July. Safran discovered a productionquality defect on LEAP-1B low-pressure turbine disks during assembly for possibly 30 engines, and CFM is working to minimize flight-test and customer-delivery disruptions.[44]
In early October 2017, anexhaust gas temperature shift was noticed during a flight and aCMC shroud coating in theHP turbine was seen flaking off in aborescope inspection, creating a leaking gap: eight in-service engines are seeing their coating replaced.[45] Safranprovisioned€50 million (US$58 million) to troubleshoot in-service engines, including potentially LEAP-1Bs.[32] Forty LEAP-1A were replaced and the part should be replaced in over 500 in-service engines, while shipments are four weeks behind schedule.[46] Deliveries with the permanent CMC environmental-barrier coating fix began in June.[47]
On 26 March 2019, due to theBoeing 737 MAX groundings,Southwest Airlines flight 8701 (737 MAX 8) took off fromOrlando International Airport for aferry flight to storage without passengers, but soon after problems with one of the engines caused an emergency landing at the same airport. Southwest then inspected 12 LEAP engines, and two other airlines also inspected their engines.[48] CFM recommended replacing the fuel nozzles more often due tocoking, a carbon buildup.[49]
| Model | Application | Thrust range | Introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| -1A | Airbus A320neo family | 24,500–35,000 lbf (109–156 kN) | 2 August 2016[51] |
| -1B | Boeing 737 MAX | 23,000–29,000 lbf (100–130 kN) | 22 May 2017[52] |
| -1C | Comac C919 | 27,980–30,000 lbf (124.5–133.4 kN) | 28 May 2023[53] |
.png)
| Model | LEAP-1A[54] | LEAP-1B[55] | LEAP-1C[54] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Twin-spool,high bypass turbofan | ||
| Compressor | 1 fan, 10-stageHP, 3-stageLP[56] | ||
| Combustor | TAPS II (Twin-Annular, Pre-mixing Swirler second-generation)[50] | ||
| Turbine[57] | 2-stage HP, 7-stage LP | 2-stage HP, 5-stage LP | 2-stage HP, 7-stage LP |
| Overall pressure ratio | 40:1[56] (50:1 at top of climb) | ||
| TSFC at cruise | 0.51 lb/lbf/h (14.4 g/kN/s)[58] | 0.53 lb/lbf/h (15.0 g/kN/s)[58] | 0.51 lb/lbf/h (14.4 g/kN/s)[59] |
| Fan diameter[56] | 78 in (198 cm) | 69.4 in (176 cm) | 77 in (196 cm)[60] |
| Bypass ratio[56] | 11:1 | 9:1 | 11:1 |
| Length | 3.328 m (131.0 in)[a] | 3.147 m (123.9 in) | 4.505 m (177.4 in)[b] |
| Max. width | 2.543 m (100.1 in) | 2.421 m (95.3 in) | 2.659 m (104.7 in) |
| Max. height | 2.362 m (93.0 in) | 2.256 m (88.8 in) | 2.714 m (106.9 in) |
| Max. weight | 3,153 kg (6,951 lb) (Wet) | 2,780 kg (6,130 lb) (Dry) | 3,935 kg (8,675 lb) (Wet) |
| Max. take-offthrust | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 130.41 kN (29,320 lbf) | 137.14 kN (30,830 lbf) |
| Max. continuous thrust | 140.96 kN (31,690 lbf) | 127.62 kN (28,690 lbf) | 133.22 kN (29,950 lbf) |
| Max.rpm | HP: 19,391 LP: 3,894 | HP: 20,171 LP: 4,586 | HP: 19,391 LP: 3,894 |
| Variant | Take-off | Max. continuous | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| -1A23 | 106.80 kN (24,010 lbf) | 104.58 kN (23,510 lbf) | None |
| -1A24 | 106.80 kN (24,010 lbf) | 106.76 kN (24,000 lbf) | Airbus A319neo (A319-151N) Airbus A320neo (A320-252N) |
| -1A26 | 120.64 kN (27,120 lbf) | 118.68 kN (26,680 lbf) | A319neo, (A319-153N), A320neo (A320-251N) |
| -1A29 | 130.29 kN (29,290 lbf) | 118.68 kN (26,680 lbf) | A320neo (A320-253N) |
| -1A30 | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 140.96 kN (31,690 lbf) | Airbus A321neo (A321-252N), (A321-252NX) |
| -1A32 | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 140.96 kN (31,690 lbf) | A321neo (A321-251N), (A321-251NX) |
| -1A32X | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 110.54 kN (24,850 lbf) | None |
| -1A33 | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 140.96 kN (31,690 lbf) | A321neo (A321-253N,) (A321-253NX) |
| -1A33X | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 110.54 kN (24,850 lbf) | Airbus A321XLR (A321-253NY) |
| -1A35A | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 140.96 kN (31,690 lbf) | None |
| -1A35AX | 143.05 kN (32,160 lbf) | 110.54 kN (24,850 lbf) | None |
| -1B25 | 119.15 kN (26,790 lbf) | 115.47 kN (25,960 lbf) | Boeing 737 MAX 8,737 MAX 8-200 |
| -1B27 | 124.71 kN (28,040 lbf) | 121.31 kN (27,270 lbf) | Boeing 737 MAX 8,737 MAX 8-200 |
| -1B28 | 130.41 kN (29,320 lbf) | 127.62 kN (28,690 lbf) | Boeing 737 MAX 8,737 MAX 8-200,Boeing 737 MAX 9 |
| -1C28 | 129.98 kN (29,220 lbf) | 127.93 kN (28,760 lbf) | Comac C919-100STD |
| -1C30 | 137.14 kN (30,830 lbf) | 133.22 kN (29,950 lbf) | C919-100ER |
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