Europrop International
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryAerospace
PredecessorAero Propulsion Alliance
Founded2002; 22 years ago (2002)
ProductsEuroprop TP400
OwnerMTU Aero Engines
Rolls-Royce
Safran Aircraft Engines
ITP Aero
Number of employees
2,500[1]

Europrop International (EPI) GmbH is a consortium set up in 2002[2] in the form of a company governed by German law, by the four main European aircraft engine manufacturers, MTU Aero Engines, Safran Aircraft Engines, Rolls-Royce and ITP Aero.[3][4][5]

EPI GmbH is tasked with designing, developing, marketing, manufacturing and providing support for the TP400-D6 turboprop engine designed to power the Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft built by Airbus Defence and Space.[6][4][5][2]

The TP400 is the most powerful turboprop in the world currently in production.[7][8]

Pooling the expertise of each engine manufacturer, Europrop International GmbH brings together around 2,500 people across Europe who are invested in the TP400-D6 program.[1] Based in Munich, the Europrop International teams also operate out of Madrid, Seville and Berlin. The final assembly of the TP400-D6 engine is carried out in Munich before being delivered to Airbus in Seville.

History

Europrop was established in 2002.[2] One year after its inception the TP400 was selected by Airbus Military to design the engine to power the A400M.[9] In 2004, work began on analyzing the engine design, with the initial ground tests taking place a year later. The first engine run with propeller took place in 2006, with the first flight of the TP400 aboard a testbed taking place in 2008.

The first flight of the A400M took place in 2009.[10] Two years later the TP400 engine received EASA certification.[11] The first engines were delivered in 2012. The French Air Force began using the A400M in 2013.[4] The following year, the engine was delivered to a further three countries: Turkey, the United Kingdom[12] and Germany.[13] The year 2015 marked the first delivery to the Royal Malaysian Air Force, the first export customer for the A400M and TP400, and in 2016, the first delivery was made to the Spanish Air Force.

In 2017, EPI GmbH signed a support contract with the Royal Malaysian Air Force, which was extended in 2019.

References

  1. ^ a b "Europrop International at a glance". Europrop. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  2. ^ a b c "EPI achieves the assembly of the 400th TP400 turboprop". Safran Aircraft Engines. 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  3. ^ "EUROPROP INTERNATIONAL". Safran Aircraft Engines. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  4. ^ a b c "TP400-D6 - MTU Aero Engines". www.mtu.de. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  5. ^ a b "TP400-D6". www.rolls-royce.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  6. ^ "TP400-D6 - MTU Aero Engines". www.mtu.de. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  7. ^ "TP400-D6 turboprop engine - Europrop International". Europrop. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  8. ^ "TP400". Safran Aircraft Engines. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  9. ^ "A400M Engine Decision". www.defense-aerospace.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  10. ^ Hoyle, Craig (2009-12-11). "UPDATED - PICTURES & VIDEO: Airbus celebrates as A400M gets airborne". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  11. ^ "EASA Certifies EUROPROP'S TP400 engine |". EASA. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  12. ^ "Airbus Defence and Space delivers first A400M to Royal Air Force". Airbus. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  13. ^ "First Airbus A400M for Germany runs its engines". Airbus. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
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