PW150A

概要

The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A is the most powerful member of the PW100 turboprop family, delivering 5,071 shaft horsepower (SHP) and serving as the exclusive powerplant for the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 — the fastest and most powerful turboprop airliner in commercial service. The PW150A's exceptional output, combined with Dowty's R408 six-blade composite propeller, gives the Q400 a cruise speed of approximately 360 knots true airspeed (KTAS), blurring the boundary between turboprop and regional jet performance and enabling the aircraft to compete on routes traditionally dominated by jets.

At 5,071 SHP the PW150A is more than twice as powerful as the PW123 series it distantly relates to, and it represents the practical upper limit of the PW100 centrifugal-compressor architecture. The combination of high power, low fuel consumption relative to jets, and the Q400's lower seat-mile operating costs has made the PW150A-powered aircraft commercially successful with carriers seeking to replace aging 737-200 and Fokker F28 jets on thinner routes without accepting turboprop speed penalties.

技術仕様

派生型

The PW150A is the only variant of this engine model, produced exclusively for the Dash 8-Q400. Unlike lower-power PW100 family members which serve multiple airframes across different manufacturers, the PW150A was engineered specifically to meet Bombardier's performance requirements for the Q400 and has not been adapted for other aircraft. The engine incorporates FADEC and advanced turbine cooling technologies developed from PW100 family experience, as well as a higher-output power turbine section not present on lower-thrust PW100 variants.

搭載機

The sole application for the PW150A is the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 (now marketed as the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 following the brand's acquisition). The Q400 seats 70-90 passengers depending on configuration and is operated by airlines including SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Horizon Air, Flybe (UK), Wideroe (Norway), and numerous regional carriers across Asia and Africa. The Q400's high cruise speed — comparable to some regional jets — has been particularly valued by Scandinavian operators serving the region's many short-runway airports where the aircraft's turboprop economics are attractive. Some carriers have used the Q400 as a direct replacement for 737-200 jets on thinner-frequency routes.

開発の歴史

Bombardier's decision in the early 1990s to develop a larger, faster Dash 8 derivative created the requirement for an engine substantially beyond anything Pratt & Whitney Canada had previously produced in the turboprop class. The PW150A programme was launched to meet this requirement, with first run in 1996 and Transport Canada certification achieved in 1999. Entry into service on the Q400 followed in 2000 with SAS as the launch operator. The development of the Dowty R408 propeller was a parallel programme of equal significance: the six-blade composite design absorbs the PW150A's substantial power while maintaining acceptable cabin noise levels — a key selling point for a turboprop competing against jets on quality-sensitive business routes. Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney Canada have continued to refine the engine and aircraft combination, with digital engine control software updates progressively improving fuel efficiency and time-on-wing throughout the Q400's service life.