Originally Posted by
Tech Guy
Out of interest, how many engine sales would be needed to make the R&D viable?
RR has not said how many it would take, only a lot more than 36 shipsets plus spares (which would be a bit more than 150 engines)
Could the upgraded engine be used in other aircraft to provide additional sales?
No other aircraft uses either the Trent 900 or GP7200. Both are in the 75,000 to 80,000 lbf thrust class, which no other aircraft uses. The A330NEO comes close with the Trent 7000 (a variant of the Trent 1000 used on the B787-10), which is in the 68,000 to 72,000 lbf thrust class. That's the advantage the 747-8 has. It uses a variant of the GE engines that are on the 787. 747-8 also has the advantage of having a freighter version which the A380 does not. Indeed, most 747-8 are freighters. 747-8 can also fit in a 747 size hangar, which means any hangar used to mod a classic 747 can handle a 747-8. The result is that several BBJ 747-8s have been sold, including two to USAF as Air Force One replacements. The 747-8 is also built on the same line as the classic 747, so the vast majority of the tooling has already been amortized, significantly reducing costs.