Agencies Approve LEAP-1B HPT Durability Kit

FAA and EASA have certificated a new high-pressure turbine (HPT) durability kit for CFM International’s LEAP-1B engine that the company says will double time on wing in hot and harsh environments like the Middle East and India.

CFM is industrializing production of the hardware, with full production cutover expected in early 2027. 

At the same time, CFM has secured the initial engine-level certification of the LEAP-1B reverse bleed system (RBS), a cooling system designed to reduce the need for on-wing fuel nozzle replacements. This is intended to bring on-wing maintenance needs in line with previous generation CFM56 standards.

“These systems will increase time between shop visits while also reducing maintenance burden, especially for customers in severe environments,” CFM president and CEO Gaël Méheust said in briefings just ahead of the Farnborough Airshow.

“This means customers will benefit from longer time on wing, in addition to the exceptional efficiency, reliability, and utilization that LEAP engines already deliver.” 

The LEAP-1B durability kit certification builds on progress made in the LEAP-1A fleet, where 70% of the latter fleet operates with the RBS and 40% flies with the HPT durability kit. 

The milestones come as CFM prepares to mark the 10^th anniversary of LEAP-1A entry into service on Aug. 2, having shipped more than 10,000 engines and accumulated more than 100 million engine flight hr. of service experience. 

“It took 17 years to deliver 10,000 CFM56 engines, but just 10 years to deliver 10,000 LEAP engines,” Méheust said. “These milestones remind us that with the success of the LEAP program comes an even greater responsibility to do everything we can to help our customers succeed.

“We’ve achieved a lot in efficiency, reliability and utilization, and we’re continuing the work to deliver the durability, availability and competitive cost of ownership that our customers expect.”