Embraer E2

Rather than a simple stretch, the E2 series is also a comprehensive makeover involving engines, wings and avionics that offer existing and new operators significant savings without the risks and costs of an all-new design.

And those existing operators, that number 62 from 42 countries, have ordered 1,200 E-Jets providing a solid platform for Embraer to launch the new versions.

And the cost will be lower for Embraer with a development tag of $1.75 billion for the E2 compared to the $3.30 billion for the CSeries.
At the Paris Air Show launch, Embraer Commercial Aviation President and CEO Paulo Cesar Silva said: “Our strategy is to offer all the benefits of a clean-sheet design, but with the reliability of a mature platform and commonality with current generation E-Jets.”

He added: “We have been continually investing in the E-Jets program, so that our customers can stay competitive with aircraft that have the lowest operating costs and the highest passenger appeal, today and in the future. I’m confident that with our mature global support network, the compelling operating economics, and the benchmark cabins of the airplanes, both existing and prospective customers will recognize the benefits of the E-Jets E2.”

“Our strategy is to offer all the benefits of a clean-sheet design but with the reliability of a mature platform…”
Silva – Embraer

At stake is an estimated market for 6,400 aircraft worth $460 billion in the 70-130 seat category over the next 20 years. And Embraer says it will garner 40 to 45 per cent of that number.

Embraer has moved to simplify the model offerings while stretching two models to capture strategic market segments.

Embraer has cut the 70-80 seat E170 from the E2 offering as regional operators express a desire to up-gauge.

Thus the E2 program will comprise three aircraft with the launch model being the E190-E2, which is due to enter service in the first half of 2018, followed by the E195-E2 in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020.

According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation launching with the E190-E2 makes sense for Embraer with the model by far and away the most popular of the E-jets, accounting for a little under 50 per cent of orders for the family.

Interestingly the E190-E2 is the only one of the three models not to be stretched, offering up to 114 seats in a high-density configuration and 97 in a two-class layout.

The E175-E2 is extended by one seat row and can seat 90 in a high density configuration and 80 in dual class while the larger E195-E2 has been stretched by three seat rows and can accommodate 144 seats in a high density configuration and 118 in a dual class or 132 in single class.

This puts the E195-E2 directly into play against Bombardier’s CSeries not to mention the smaller members of the A320 and 737 families.
In fact the E195-E2 bridges the CSeries100 and CSeries 300 models.

Embraer has elected to feature two new wings for the E2.

The first will be for the E175-E2 and will see the wing extended from the current 85ft 4in to 101ft 8in.

For the other two models the wing will be stretched from the current 94ft 3in to 110ft 7in.

Both wings will feature a higher aspect ratio with raked wing tips that will lead to less induced drag and thus better fuel efficiency.
Embraer has turned its back on GE’s CF-34 and Rolls Royce offerings and has selected solely Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan.

The PW1700G will power the E175-E2 while the PW1900G will be fitted to the E190-E2 and E195-E2. Engine thrust will grow from 13,800lbs for the E175 and 18,500lbs for the E190/5 to 17,000lbs and 19,000lbs respectively.

The additional thrust delivers far more performance. The E175-E2 has a MTOW of 97,731lbs (44,330kg) and a payload of 22,730lbs (10,310kg). Takeoff field length is 7,349ft (2,240m) and time to climb is 18 minutes.

MTOW for E190-E2 is 125,443lbs (56,900kg) with a payload of 28,836lbs (13,080kg). Takeoff field length is 5,905ft (1,800m).

For the largest model the E195-E2 MTOW is 130,954lbs (59400kg) and payload is 33,400lbs (15150kg). Takeoff field length is 6,398ft (1,950m).

There are also range improvements for the E190-E2 of 450nm to 2,850, while the other two models stay much the same at 2,000nm for the smaller E175-E2 and 2,200nm for the E195-2.

The combination of the stretch, new wing and engines results in fuel burn per passenger improvements of 16 per cent for the E175-E2 and E190-E2 and 23 per cent for the E195-E2. These numbers are based on 600nm segments and a two-class configuration.

Pratt & Whitney says its PW1700G/PW1900G engines will deliver a 12 per cent improvement in fuel consumption, along with a 50 per cent reduction in noise and emissions and a 40 per cent reduction in maintenance costs. Embraer is promising each E2 will save 15 per cent in direct maintenance costs, which translates into a saving of between $1m and $1.5m over five years.

According to Silva, overall in a typical US two-class configuration the E175-E2 will have a nine per cent lower cost per trip and a 13 per cent lower cost per seat than today’s models. The E190-E2 will deliver 10 per cent in both while the E195-E2 will provide a seven per cent and 16 per cent reduction respectively.

So how does the E2 family compete?

In an interview with Airline Fleet Management Silva said “the E190-E2 is ideally sized for the 100-110 seat market, which the CS100 is too large to address. It also offers a six per cent better fuel burn per trip compared to the CS100 and 20 per cent better fuel burn per trip compared to the A319 Neo and 737-7 MAX.”

“Against the re-engined A319 neo and 737-7 MAX narrowbodies, the E195-E2 has a 15 per cent better fuel burn per trip and almost 10 per cent better fuel burn per seat,” Silva told AFM. But he also distances a head-to-head competition.

“The E195-E2 is designed to be larger than the current E195, but smaller than the A319 neo and 737-7 MAX, while offering a lower cost per seat. They are designed for different missions, in terms of performance, and don’t compete directly.”

He suggests in the AFM interview that this positioning differs from Bombardier’s CS300, which is a direct competitor to Boeing and Airbus products.

The E195-E2 competes directly with the CS100, offering similar fuel burn per trip and about 10 per cent better fuel per seat.

“The current E175-E1 already offers a four per cent fuel burn advantage when compared to the CRJ900 and the E175-E2 will have an advantage in excess of 15 per cent,” Silva said.

Numbers aside, the E2 series is clearly a masterstroke for Embraer melding a superb design with engine and aerodynamic changes that matter while leaving alone current technology that works well.

This mix brings the maximum benefits to existing operators without the “all new” tag that can bring with it a host of problems, particularly to small operators.

“The application of advanced technologies for engines, wings and avionics, distinguishes the E-Jets E2 by providing airlines with maximum efficiency gains and no compromises, while maintaining commonality with current E-Jets,” Silva said at the Paris Air Show.
Other improvements while not headline-grabbing are nonetheless significant.

Leading these is the fourth generation full fly-by-wire digital closed-loop control to improve flying quality and boost fuel efficiency.
The APU has a higher altitude start and operating capability, and air inlet door for reduced drag. There are also new stabilisers that deliver lower drag and weight. The air conditioning has been beefed up for high capacity and features improved control.

The main landing gear has been altered to allow for the larger engines and gear doors have been modified for improved fuel efficiency.
For the cockpit, Embraer selected the Honeywell Primus Epic 2 integrated avionics system which is an evolution of the existing Primus Epic system on the current generation, which will assure a high degree of pilot commonality meaning pilots can transition between the two without need for much training.

The five 8×10 inch displays will be replaced by four 13×10 inch large landscape displays with advanced graphics capabilities.

Honeywell’s Next Generation Flight Management System, already in development with current generation E-Jets, will provide enhanced flight planning, navigation and aircraft performance capabilities.

“We believe that the evolution of the Honeywell Primus Epic, including large landscape displays, will provide flexibility for continuous innovation in the flight deck, while offering a mature system and a smooth transition for pilots between the current and future generation of E-Jets,” says Silva.

Embraer will also reengineer the interior of the E2 series. It claims passengers will have more space for carry-on bags, especially roll-aboards and more personal space. The company says the interior has been completely redesigned from sidewalls and lighting to temperature control.

Analysts around the globe give Embraer’s strategy the big tick.

Australia’s CAPA comments: “Embraer’s decision to develop a re-worked and stretched version of its E-Jets family rather than go with an all-new aircraft attests to the reduced risk appetite among the major commercial aircraft manufacturers. Working with an existing platform reduces the tremendous research and development expenditure necessary to create an all-new aircraft, as well as eliminating many of the perils involved in introducing new technologies – as exemplified by the three-year delay with the 787 and the temporary grounding of the aircraft due to problems with lithium-ion batteries.”

Responding to more intense competition “Embraer has reacted by sticking to the regional market space and improving the performance of its existing product. Bombardier’s reaction, moving into the same territory as Airbus and Boeing, is riskier and more expensive, but in the long run the promise of the superior performance of the CSeries may prove a winner. The takeoff has been a long one, but things may change once the aircraft is in the air,” CAPA notes.

New York-based Bernstein research says “no matter how the Embraer/Bombardier/Mitsubishi competition shakes out, we favor the Embraer E2.

According to the Montreal Post, transport analyst Derek Spronck of RBC Capital Markets believes Embraer is positioned to extend its leadership in regional jet sales over Canada’s Bombardier in the coming years.

“Whether by thoughtful decision-making or by second-mover advantage, Embraer has effectively positioned its product lineup against a competitive landscape,” Spronck wrote in a report after the Paris Air Show.

Spronck believes Embraer’s market share between 2013 and 2015 will increase to 63 per cent from the aggregate 54 per cent it achieved between 2001 and 2012.

The Montreal Post reported that Spronck suggests “Embraer’s backlog now is at a point where he anticipates a 17 per cent ramp-up in deliveries in 2014, adding $425 million in extra revenue.”

Spronck’s report also suggests Bombardier’s deliveries of planes in the 30-120-seat segment should fall to 31 per cent share of the market over the next three years from 45 per cent achieved over the past 12 years.

Responding in the Montreal Gazette to the wide coverage in Canada to Spronck’s report, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft spokesperson Marianella de la Barrerra countered that her firm is “the undisputed market leader in regional aircraft. The 1,782 planes that we’ve sold speaks for itself.”

de la Barrerra added that Bombardier’s CRJ line up from 50 seats to about 110 seats is “the most successful aircraft program in the world and Embraer is playing catch-up – they had to do something.”

“Our CRJ performance and reliability are already proven, offering a 16-per-cent better fuel burn and efficiency,” said de la Barrerra.
Spronck sees more orders from US airlines for E2 series over the next 12 months and adds that he believes that “Bombardier will need either to launch a clean-sheet regional jet offering in the coming years or (and more likely) concede market share in the regional jet market.”

In summary, Spronck calls Embraer the Toyota of aerospace.

“Embraer has developed successful aircraft platforms with the introduction of new technology while focusing on lowered acquisition prices from the reduction in direct operating costs and improved product reliability – similar to Toyota’s successful push in the automotive industry in the 1950s. In addition, Embraer offers customers comprehensive aircraft and global after-sales support for parts, services, and technical assistance.”