April 17, 1996

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. TO DEVELOP NEW VERSION OF GE90 ENGINE

EVENDALE, Ohio (AP) -- General Electric Co. said Tuesday it will develop a new, more powerful GE90 engine that the company hopes can be certified for commercial jet service in 1999.

It is GE's latest effort in the jet engine industry's competition for contracts to power the Boeing Co.'s twin-engine 777 jetliner. GE, United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit and Rolls-Royce PLC are competing for the business as more airlines buy the Boeing jet.

The new GE90-100B engine could achieve 100,000 pounds of thrust on the Boeing 777 when combined with an upgrade kit, General Electric said. The first-generation engine of the group, the GE90-85B, now is rated at 84,700 pounds thrust.

The second-generation GE90 engine, the GE90-92B, is to be certified at 92,000 pounds thrust. GE expects it to enter commercial service in 1997 on the Boeing 777.

A more powerful engine offers airlines the opportunity to make more money by carrying more passengers.

General Electric has spent more than $1.5 billion and six years in developing the GE90, which is supposed to operate more quietly and use less fuel than conventional jet engines. Engine makers Snecma of France, IHI of Japan and FiatAvio of Italy are cooperating with GE in the GE90 project and sharing in the revenues.

The Federal Aviation Administration in November certified the GE90 engine for use on the Boeing 777. It immediately went into use on British Airways 777s. China Southern is also flying the GE90.

GE's aircraft engine division is based in this Cincinnati suburb.