Snecma M88

Courcouronnes, le 4 mai 2010.

Le premier vol de l’avion d’essais Rafale équipé d’un moteur M88-4E (ex « Pack CGP » du moteur M88-2) de Snecma (groupe Safran), s’est déroulé avec succès le 22 mars dernier à Istres. Ce vol, d’une durée d’1h30mn, a permis d’ouvrir le domaine de vol. La campagne d’essais du M88-4E comporte 70 vols à effectuer en 2010, avec différentes configurations moteur. Depuis, 10 vols ont été effectués.

« Nous sommes satisfaits de la réussite des premiers vols du M88-4E qui correspond à la troisième évolution majeure et concrétise notre effort continu de recherche. Cette dernière évolution permet de mieux répondre aux attentes de notre client en contribuant à la diminution des coûts de maintenance du Rafale. », déclare Didier Desnoyer, directeur de la division Moteurs militaires de Snecma.

Le développement du M88-4E se déroule de façon satisfaisante. Le premier test de ce moteur au banc a eu lieu en septembre 2009. Les moteurs de développement accumulent aujourd’hui des heures d’essais d’endurance et de performance au sol et une campagne d’essais en caisson d’altitude s’est terminée fin février 2010. La qualification et la livraison du premier moteur de série M88-4E sont prévues pour fin 2011.

La Délégation Générale pour l’Armement a notifié à Snecma, en janvier 2008, le marché dit « Pack CGP » (Coût Global de Possession) du moteur M88-2. Ce marché a pour objectif l’allongement des durées de vie et intervalles d’inspection de plusieurs pièces du moteur. Les modifications prévues portent sur le compresseur haute pression et la turbine haute pression.

Conçu pour l’avion de combat polyvalent Rafale, le M88 est le premier élément d’une famille de moteurs de nouvelle génération destinés à propulser les avions de combat et d’entraînement avancé du 21ème siècle. Le moteur M88-2 équipe aujourd’hui les différentes versions du Rafale Air et Marine. Il est particulièrement adapté aux missions de pénétration basse altitude et d’interception haute altitude.

M88-4E engine program on track Development of the enhanced M88-4E (formerly designated the “TCO Pack”), is proceeding very satisfactorily. The first test flight of a Rafale fighter powered by the M88-4E engine took place on March 22, 2010 at the Istres air base in southern France. The complete test program for the M88-4E engine has performed some 70 flights in 2010, with different engine configurations. Development engines are now undergoing ground performance and endurance tests, after a series of altitude
chamber tests completed in February 2010. Qualification and delivery of the first production-standard M88-4E is now slated for the end of 2011.
The aim of this program is to extend the engine’s service life and time between inspections for several key parts.
Upgrades are planned to the high-pressure compressor and high-pressure turbine, and are derived from various technologies tested during the ECO development program.

After being qualified in April 2012, the first M88-4E with the TCO pack was delivered in May. How would you describe its new performance capabilities?
The commissioning of the new TCO pack standard marks a major step forward in the ongoing upgrades of the M88 engine. Our aim, working with the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement) was to streamline maintenance operations and reduce costs for the Rafale fighter. Calling on our state-of-the-art design methods and manufacturing technologies, we modified certain critical parts in the hot section of the engine to extend their service lives. These parts operate in particularly harsh environments, and are traditionally demanding in terms of maintenance. By extending their lifespan, we naturally decrease the total cost of ownership for the engine. But the gains aren't solely financial: improvements to the high-pressure section, especially on the stator and rotor modules, enables us to streamline maintenance operations and reduce the number of times the plane is grounded for servicing, which in turn increases the engines' dispatch reliability. The latter is generally expressed in terms of tactical air cycles, or TAC, a NATO standard that measures the number of times pilots use the throttle between inspections. On the M88-4E, we have increased TAC from 2,500 cycles to 4,000 cycles! To date, 16 Rafales have had their M88 engines retrofitted to the 4E standard, by changing out their turbine blades. Plus, two new Rafales with M88-4E engines were delivered to the French air force in December 2012.

Aero India, Bangalore (India) – February 18, 2015. Snecma (Safran), a leading manufacturer of aircraft engines, and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), a leading aerospace manufacturer, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 28, 2015 in Bangalore to explore establishing a joint venture in India for the production of aero-engine parts. The MoU was signed by Mr. Bruno Durand, Vice President for Industrial Operations & Supply Chain of Snecma and Mr. Arunachalam Muthukumaraswami, General Manager of the Engine Division of HAL.

The proposed joint venture will initially focus on the manufacture of high-tech parts for the Dassault Rafale’s Snecma M88 engine, then subsequently contribute to other major aerospace projects of HAL & Snecma, in India and worldwide. Spanning over 30,000 square meters, the proposed joint venture’s new plant is expected to benefit from substantial investment by the two partners, providing it with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment.

This agreement marks a major step forward in the long-standing collaboration between Snecma and HAL. The proposed joint venture will further broaden the scope of the excellent relations established over the past 60 years between Safran affiliates and the Indian aerospace industry*. For example, Snecma manufactures the M53 engines powering the Mirage 2000H "Vajra" fighters operated by the Indian Air Force.

Le directeur général de Safran, Philippe Petitcolin, a estimé dans un entretien avec des journalistes français qu'il était "temps aujourd'hui de se poser la question sur un upgrade (amélioration, ndlr) du M88 en termes de poussée".