CFM International initiated ground testing of the first all-new LEAP-1B engine that will exclusively power the Boeing 737 MAX, three days ahead of schedule. The LEAP-1B engine, installed in a test cell at Snecma (Safran) facilities in Villaroche, France, successfully completed a series of break-in runs before reaching full take-off thrust.

The engine was on test for several weeks, during which time CFM verified its mechanical operation, operability (stall margin), and engine starts. Further validate tests covered the advanced technologies incorporated in the engine, including the woven carbon fiber composite fan, the Twin-Annular, Pre-Mixing Swirler (TAPS) combustor, ceramic matrix composite shrouds in the high-pressure turbine and the titanium aluminide blades in the low-pressure turbine. The LEAP-1B is specifically optimized for the 737 MAX with a smaller, highly efficient core and benefits from these new technologies.

The LEAP-1B engine contributes significantly to the 737 MAX's fuel efficiency improvement. The 737 MAX will be 14 percent more fuel efficient than today's most efficient Next-Generation 737s – and 20 percent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they first entered service.