Originally Posted by
Lord Bracken
Won't Mr Rolls sell you a Trent XWB -75 or -79 which fits the 75-80 rating with ease? You can even hang them on an A380, as Airbus have proven.
Problem is, that's not a certified configuration - and certifying a new engine installation is not trivial - far from in. First off, all aircraft performance must be redone and validated - many hours of expensive flight testing. Then the actual engine installation must be certified. Displays software will need to be updated. Aircraft handling will need to be re-evaluated, potentially including updates to the FBW software. Structural loads will need to redone and re-certified. Even ETOPS will need to be re-certified for a new engine (seriously). Probably somewhere in the $500 million to $1 Billion dollar range before it's all said and done to certify the re-engine - and that's assuming
nothing on the engine needs to change (unlikely). Not to mention schedule - you're probably talking ~36 months from launch to initial deliveries - maybe longer.