4 ms·

Jet engine is a "solved" problem for like 4 Western companies (GE, Pratt-Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran) plus some Russian and Chinese state-owned enterprises tha

Jet engine is a "solved" problem for like 4 Western companies (GE, Pratt-Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran) plus some Russian and Chinese state-owned enterprises that mostly do military work. These organizations guard their secret sauces vigorously. Designing a cutting edge jet engine from scratch (i.e. with competitive fuel efficiency) is NOT a trivial task.

phkahler 3y ago
>> Jet engine is a "solved" problem for like 4 Western companies (GE, Pratt-Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran) plus some Russian and Chinese state-owned enterprises that mostly do military work. Time to mention Williams International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_International They're on light jets from Cirrus and Cessna. Boom probably needs something a bit larger - seems like an opportunity for a development program.
- throwup238 3y ago
  There's actually quite a few companies that make small turbojets especially for military purposes and up to a certain point, you can even DIY your own from spare parts (there are some Youtubers that have done that). That's the first tier and includes companies like Williams, usually producing <5,000 lbf engines. Then you have companies like Garrett/Honeywell that can make engines that output tens of thousands lbf like the TFE731 for mid-range jets and fighter jets. These can power big jets but not very fuel efficiently; that's the second tier. The next tier up is the high bypass turbofans producing tens of thousands lbf used for commercial aviation and afterburner engines for last gen fighter aircraft are a completely different story. The GP is right there are only a few players in the game. Due to scaling laws, at this point it becomes less about the design and more about the metallurgy and material science. Magic like single crystal alloys are critical here and are very closely guarded secrets because the knowledge unlocks everything from ICBMs to gaseous centrifuges to nuclear reactors.
- rgmerk 3y ago
  Heh. If I were a startup I wouldn't be relying on Williams International to build me a novel engine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_500 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_500
nothercastle 3y ago
Ha jet engine that can be certified maintained and is efficient is barely solved by GE. That’s it nobody else can make a modern commercial aircraft engine that isn’t a total money pit.
- bpye 3y ago
  Rolls-Royce? They along with GE also produce engines for the A380 and 787, as well as many smaller aircraft.
  - nothercastle 3y ago
    They are at least a generation behind GE and the company is on life support so I don’t see them closing the gap. Pratt now Collin’s has engines too but their commercial engines are 3-4 generations behind.

phkahler 3y ago

>> Jet engine is a "solved" problem for like 4 Western companies (GE, Pratt-Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran) plus some Russian and Chinese state-owned enterprises that mostly do military work. Time to mention Williams International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_International They're on light jets from Cirrus and Cessna. Boom probably needs something a bit larger - seems like an opportunity for a development program.

throwup238 3y ago
There's actually quite a few companies that make small turbojets especially for military purposes and up to a certain point, you can even DIY your own from spare parts (there are some Youtubers that have done that). That's the first tier and includes companies like Williams, usually producing <5,000 lbf engines. Then you have companies like Garrett/Honeywell that can make engines that output tens of thousands lbf like the TFE731 for mid-range jets and fighter jets. These can power big jets but not very fuel efficiently; that's the second tier. The next tier up is the high bypass turbofans producing tens of thousands lbf used for commercial aviation and afterburner engines for last gen fighter aircraft are a completely different story. The GP is right there are only a few players in the game. Due to scaling laws, at this point it becomes less about the design and more about the metallurgy and material science. Magic like single crystal alloys are critical here and are very closely guarded secrets because the knowledge unlocks everything from ICBMs to gaseous centrifuges to nuclear reactors.
rgmerk 3y ago
Heh. If I were a startup I wouldn't be relying on Williams International to build me a novel engine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_500 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_500

nothercastle 3y ago

Ha jet engine that can be certified maintained and is efficient is barely solved by GE. That’s it nobody else can make a modern commercial aircraft engine that isn’t a total money pit.

bpye 3y ago
Rolls-Royce? They along with GE also produce engines for the A380 and 787, as well as many smaller aircraft.
- nothercastle 3y ago
  They are at least a generation behind GE and the company is on life support so I don’t see them closing the gap. Pratt now Collin’s has engines too but their commercial engines are 3-4 generations behind.