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This week, Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), announced the establishment of GatorWorks, a newly formed prototyping arm that will focus on the rapid and agile development of dependable, lower cost military engines.

A switchable system for toggling between different cam lobes offers variable valve timing and lift to improve both fuel economy and exhaust gas aftertreatment in heavy-duty engines.

The search for ever-lower emission technology for future generations of aircraft engines is actively progressing on both sides of the Atlantic. Tucked away on a modest-size stand at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow was a highly varied collection of unconventional engine technology displays – a clear indication of radical innovation already being investigated as a part of Ultimate, the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation project.

Aerospace engineers at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, working on the NASA X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft in collaboration with Lockheed Martin engineers sought a safety-critical compute application programming interface (API) that supports safety certifications and powerful graphics and compute capabilities. They chose the VkCore SC safety-critical Vulkan driver from Core Avionics & Industrial Inc. (CoreAVI) in Tampa, Fla., for deployment into the X-59 in concert with the VxWorks 7 real-time operating system (RTOS) from Wind River, a provider of embedded software for intelligent connected systems and part of Intel Corp., in Alameda, Calif.

Boeing officials are expanding the company’s use of Siemens’ Mentor Graphics software as part of its Second Century Enterprise Systems (2CES) initiative, an effort to transform the company and aerospace industry to meet future challenges and achieve maximum value from end-to-end integration of supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, product support, and more. Boeing is harnessing a set of Siemens technologies to enable the next generation of design and manufacturing through increased automation and digitalization.

SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., has published AS13006: Process Control Methods, a new standard with guidance material to support specific aerospace engine applications, with a focus on the practical application of control methods for many different situations, to improve process control, process capability, and product quality, benefiting both the organization applying it and its customers.

Keeping exhaust heat only where it is wanted is a fresh challenge for the commercial vehicle and off-highway equipment industries.

One of the leaders in the diesel engine market is broadening its portfolio to include electric, fuel cell and other alternative power sources.

The costs of building and running prototype engines are high, but they’re extremely daunting when each cylinder of a marine engine provides more than 1000 kW (1340 hp). That’s prompted Wärtsilä to invest heavily in hardware and software so modeling, simulation and virtual testing can be used to shorten development time and ensure that all design requirements are met.

Cummins recently announced trials of future driveline concepts for off-highway equipment. Its focus is on energy diversity, providing a range of powertrain solutions for customers: clean diesel, renewables, natural gas, gasoline, hybrids and electric power, notes Shelley Knust, Executive Director - Off-Highway Engineering.

With a high compression ratio and a comparative abundance of low-rpm torque, VW's new, efficiency-enhancing B-Cycle 4-cylinder engine makes a convincing diesel substitute.

To enable the tests required for development work to be performed with maximum efficiency, the Zwick Roell Group (ZwickRoell) – a global supplier of materials testing machines based out of Ulm, Germany – developed a materials testing machine that can be equipped with both a temperature chamber and a high-temperature furnace.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 7 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 2:54:27 Japan Standard Time (JST) on September 23, carrying the KOUNOTORI7 (HTV7) cargo transporter into orbit to start its journey to the International Space Station (ISS).

Harley-Davidson is the first major OEM to announce specific plans for an electrified addition to its traditional motorcycle lineup.

Pratt & Whitney was awarded the contract modification by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center for the Adaptive Engine Transition Program. Through AETP, Pratt & Whitney was tasked with designing, fabricating, integrating, and testing complete, flight-weight adaptive engines – the contract modification allocates funding for “risk reduction” activities related to adaptive engine development.

Aircraft orders exceed $95 billion in value and are complemented by roughly $3 billion in aircraft engine and engine service agreement contracts announced in the first two days of the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow. “The future starts at Farnborough; our exhibition halls are full of innovation that will shape how we fly, enabling us to go further, faster, and with less environmental impact,” says Farnborough International Commercial Director Amanda Stainer.  

Rolls-Royce will be providing United Airlines additional Trent XWB engines and service support. The company also recently laid out an offering of the BR725 powerplant, designated F130 for military purposes, to the U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress fleet.

The truck maker has announced the first intelligent axle that actively controls oil regulation inside the unit, which boosts fuel economy by up to 0.5%.

After many years of flat-lining in the supply of new commercial jet engines—with improved models, but with designs dating back to the late 1990s, relying on a continuous path of evolutionary development—a new generation of super-efficient powerplants is entering service, introducing many technologies that will also be applied to future engines.