GE Honda Aero Engines recently completed component and engine core tests to validate several performance enhancements for its in-development 1,700-pound-thrust HF118 turbofan. These refinements have already resulted in a 4-percent improvement in specific fuel consumption and an 8-percent weight reduction.

Honda’s enhancements to its state-of-the-art high-pressure compressor have increased airflow and improved efficiency, the company said. Further, the high-pressure turbine, shaped by three-dimensional aerodynamic design tools, now includes new blades made from an advanced single-crystal material developed by GE.

According to GE Honda, the high-pressure turbine’s durability and performance enhancements were validated during rig tests at Honda’s facility in Japan in March. Further tests will be run on an HF118 engine core at Honda this summer. The HF118 is being designed to operate for 5,000 hours before the first major overhaul.

The HF118 fan is being optimized with high-flow, wide-chord swept aerodynamic technology that is already proved on the 115,000-pound-thrust GE90-115B and being incorporated on the GEnx.

An HF118 engine was run successfully at GE’s outdoor test operation in Peebles, Ohio. Additional tests this year will further demonstrate engine performance and durability, as well as improvements in the compressor and turbine sections, GE Honda said.