I don't know so I'm asking in case someone can answer...
Civil aero-engine OEM's used to run performance improvement packages whereby every few years an engine PIP would be released, perhaps improving engine performance by 1%-2%. Perhaps they still do. Do military engine OEM's not offer such upgrades over the years?
I think of this in the context of EJ200. After 20 years in service it might by now have reached 95kN wet thrust if there were a PIP system for the engine. Perhaps not of great interest to Turkiye but could have been of interest to India'a Tejas Mk2 programme. Possibly Gripen E, too.
When I think of it, this might be relevant to TF35000, whereby a lower thrust but reliable initial production version could be introduced earlier followed by a gradual improvement in thrust without reducing reliability.
Thanks for any replies.
Good point!
Now let us look at F110 engine:
It originated from the F101 engine originally developed for the B1 bomber in late 1970’s. So in effect the PIP package of F101 is the F110.
Then a stealthy version of the F110 appeared without the afterburner. That was F118. These propelled B2 bomber.
In 2003 they started using 4th generation single crystal turbine blades. But no new nomenclature was used.
After at MTU in mid 1990’s , the EJ200 engineers in Germany developed Blisk technology, the same tech was applied to the F110-GE129 engines in early 2000’s. They were named F118 and F110GE-129EPE (or F110GE132).
GE started using additive technologies in the manufacturing processes.
The goal is to produce an engine that is more fuel efficient without compromising performance. Small incremental changes do happen. Sometimes they are translated in to the nomenclature of the engine. Sometimes it is not mentioned or publicised.
If you look at the EJ200 :
The Eurojet EJ200 engine, which entered service in 2003, has undergone continuous, incremental upgrades to its hardware and software rather than a single, massive overhaul, thanks to its modular, future-proof design.
Key upgrades and enhancements include:
Since it’s first use the engine’s Digital Engine and Software and Control Systems (DECMU): has been updated to provide, at minimum, a 15% increase in thrust.
The introduction of advanced high-pressure (HP) turbine blades with enhanced cooling technology—developed in collaboration with FiatAvio and Rolls-Royce—allows for higher operating temperatures and better performance.
The engine was designed to allow for "growth steps" without requiring a complete redesign. Future, planned stages involve upgrading the low-pressure (LP) compressor and turbine to potentially increase dry thrust to 17535lbf and wet thrust to 27000lbf. (This was offered to us for the initial TFX design.)
(TVC) thrust vectoring control has been developed and tested to provide improved pitch, vector control, and aerodynamic performance, particularly for future aircraft upgrades which also came with 10-15% more thrust..
Enhancements to power generation have allowed the engine to meet the higher electrical power demands of modern, upgraded radar systems like the ECRS Mk2.
But these have not been translated in to the open nomenclature as one would expect.
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