The FAA said this week it plans to spend $100 million in Phase II of its CLEEN (Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise) program, working with industry partners to develop new aircraft and engine technologies that are more efficient and quieter, and advance the development of alternative jet fuels. The program aims to enhance environmental protections and also allow for sustained aviation growth. The initial phase, from 2010 to 2015, helped to produce several cleaner new jet fuels, and helped develop technology for the LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines now used by Boeing, Airbus and Comac.
The industry partners for CLEEN II are Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing, Delta TechOps/MDS Coating Technologies Corp./America’s Phenix Inc., GE Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, P&W, Rohr Inc./United Technologies Corp. Aerospace Systems, and Rolls-Royce North America. The partners are expected to match the FAA’s $100 million investment. Phase II launched in 2015 and will continue through 2020. The FAA said it expects that aircraft technologies developed in the CLEEN II phase will be on a path for introduction into commercial aircraft by 2026.
