GE Aviation says certification testing and flight testing on the GE9X program will begin in the first half of 2017, and engine certification is expected in 2018. There are already 700 GE9X engines on order. The aircraft itself is expected to make its debut in 2020.
However, the engine will not be the only part of the 777X made with composites. A week before GE Aviation announced the engine ground testing, Boeing announced it has invested more than $300 million on a new composite center in St. Louis that will be responsible for Production of 777X wing edge and empennage parts.
For more information on the GE9X, go to http://www.geaviation.com/commercial/engines/ge9x/.
