Business Aviation News

Honeywell’s TFE731 Turns 50

Honeywell’s TFE731 Turns 50

Honeywell Aerospace’s TFE731, the company’s first turbofan engine designed for business jets, has turned 50.

Since the first TFE731 was certified in 1972, the company has produced 20 different models with more than 13,000 engines, and 9,400 of them are still in service, which logged more than 100 million hours of service on more than 30 different aircraft applications, according to Honeywell.

The engine is still powering jets such as Dassault’s Falcon 900, Bombardier’s Learjet 70/75, and Gulfstream’s G150.

The TFE731 was designed to meet the specific needs of business jets while other engines at the time were adapted from existing military jet engines. It is also the first geared turbofan engine with a dual-spool design, which improves fuel efficiency and range.

Honeywell predecessor Garrett (AlliedSignal) developed the TFE731 in the late 1960s in an effort to supply the market with a reliable engine that would fly coast-to-coast without refueling.

The engine also led to the development of Honeywell’s HTF7000 family that powers some current-production super-midsize jets.

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