MTU Aero Engines launches expanded Fort Worth hub with debut CFM Leap-1B induction
German engine systems specialist marks official opening with induction of first Leap-1B. MTU Aero Engines is probably best known for its ties to Pratt & Whitney, as a risk-share partner on the International Aero Engines V2500 and its successor, the Geared Turbofan (GTF). The German company holds up to an 18% share in the GTF, depending on the variant, with responsibility for the low-pressure turbine and first four stages of the high-pressure compressor. However, on the maintenance, repair and overhaul side – from which MTU derives more than two-thirds of its revenues – much of the recent focus has been on the RTX subsidiary's competitor, CFM International. MTU has been ramping up its presence in the CFM aftermarket as well as looking to boost its capabilities with GE Aerospace, which owns CFM alongside France’s Safran Aircraft Engines. The Munich-based company on 8 July officially unveiled its expanded Fort Worth MRO hub after a $120 million investment, and announced the induction of the Texas operation's first CFM Leap engine, a -1B for long-standing customer Brazilian airline GOL. Munich-based MTU describes the 43,000sq m (463,000sq ft) facility as its North American flagship. Fort Worth is one of eight global sites and the only one in the MTU network awarded "Premier" status by CFM – the engine maker's highest level of approval. The licence allows MTU to carry out a range of maintenance services including full overhauls and in-house repairs on Leap and CFM56 engines. MTU hopes to shortly induct at Fort Worth its first Leap-1A – the version of the engine for the Airbus A320neo family, although it will not give details on customer discussions. It expects the global Leap market to be three times as big as that for the CFM56, peaking at some 8,000 shop visits a year by 2045. MTU also plans to extend its authorisations there by 2029 to the GE Aerospace GEnx, which vies with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 to power the Boeing 787. "As one of the world's leading engine MRO providers, we are systematically expanding our global footprint," says chief executive Johannes Bussmann, a former Lufthansa Technik head who took over from Lars Wagner in September. "Fort Worth will be a cornerstone of our strategy to support next-generation engine programmes at scale." MRO is the fastest growing segment for MTU – with shop visits split roughly two-thirds in favour of the V2500/GTF and one third CFM/GE. However, in terms of workload value the balance shifts more towards 50/50 because MTU carries out complex repairs on GE engines, such as the turbine centre frame on the GEnx. The company – which also has MRO operations in Hanover and Berlin, Germany, and Zhuhai in China as well as Serbia, Canada, and Poland – claims to be the number two engine aftermarket service provider by shop visits, with an annual tally of more than 1,400, and to have the broadest portfolio of manufacturer authorisations in the market, with more than 30 types. The ongoing durability issues with the GTF have boosted demand for its services, with the engine accounting for about 40% of its commercial maintenance revenues last year, according to MTU's annual report. The V2500 as well as the GE GE90 and CF6-80 were also significant contributors to its MRO turnover. Military muscle While civil engines dominate at MTU, military activities remain vital. As Germany's propulsion champion it contributed to the development of the powerplants for the Airbus Defence & Space A400M and Eurofighter Typhoon among others, and continues to build elements of the engines. However, the recent cancellation of the Franco-German-Spanish New Generation Fighter (NGF) dealt the defence side of the business a blow. Bussmann said at June's ILA show in Berlin that the company was ready to "move on" and work with any European partners on an engine for one or more sixth-generation combat aircraft, which he insists Berlin and Europe needs to maintain sovereignty and industrial and technological capabilities in defence. MTU had been collaborating with Safran on NGF, part of the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project. He insisted work done by the European Military Engine Team, formed by MTU and Safran in 2021, was not wasted because valuable intellectual property would be retained. A partnership with Rolls-Royce, part of the Global Combat Aircraft Programme (GCAP) between Italy, Japan and the UK, is one possibility, but any progress will be down to largely to politicians rather than industry, admits Bussmann. MTU has also expanded its portfolio into the fast-emerging area of small turbojet engines for military uncrewed air vehicles, acquiring in April Cologne-based start-up AeroDesignWorks. The company, a 2011 spin-out from the DLR German aerospace research centre, was specialising in gas turbines with a thrust of around 90lbf (400N). It was part of a decision by MTU, which had already in 2023 bought electric motor supplier eMoSys, to "enlarge our product portfolio in the UAV sector", says Bussmann. "Our strategy is to build a family of engines for drones and to be a major provider of this technology in Europe." Additionally, MTU is keeping its hand in when it comes to future sustainable advances. In early July it announced a joint venture with Airbus to develop and commercialise a "revolutionary" hydrogen fuel cell powertrain – following a memorandum of understanding signed at last year's Paris air show.