Where tradition meets innovation, progress is born.

MTU Aero Engines looks back on a dynamic history marked by technical milestones. Since its beginnings as BMW Flugmotoren GmbH, the company has consistently pushed boundaries – with groundbreaking technologies like the low-pressure turbine and high-pressure compressor for the geared turbofan, as well as building a global maintenance network.

In the military sector, MTU has also become a trusted partner for cutting-edge propulsion technologies, shaping the next generation of engines for fighter jets and helicopters. With a clear vision of making emission-free flying a reality, the company combines decades of experience with state-of-the-art technology to shape the future of aviation.

The history of MTU shows: Where tradition meets innovation, progress is born.

Engine components “made by MTU” are among the world’s best

In the course of its 90-year history, MTU has developed numerous pioneering technologies – especially in the fields of low-pressure turbines and high-pressure compressors. Its development project for the Advanced Technology Fan Integrator (ATFI) at the beginning of the 2000s, for example, led to the Pratt & Whitney GTF? engine family, which has been in scheduled flight operations since 2016.

PW2000

Starting in 1981 with the PW2000, the first commercial engine MTU was involved in developing, the Munich-based company consolidated its reputation as a leading authority on the low-pressure turbine.

The low-pressure turbine

But its current masterpiece is the high-speed low-pressure turbine for the geared turbofan: with technology that is unparalleled in the world, MTU is the only company to have mastered it for this application.

The high-pressure compressor

There is, however, another module where the name MTU is mentioned with respect around the world: the high-pressure compressor. The company has been responsible for this component since the early 1970s in the RB199, since 1986 in the EJ200, and - for the first time in the commercial sector - since the early 2000s in the PW6000.

The partnership with Pratt & Whitney

While the PW6000 was not a commercial success, it was the breakthrough for further developments in the partnership with Pratt & Whitney. MTU has also worked its way to the very top in turbine center frames and in manufacturing and repair processes.

The story is far from over

Today, one-third of the world’s commercial aircraft take to the skies with MTU technology on board. The engine specialist has developed into a global player with 18 locations worldwide and over 12,000 employees from 88 nations. And its story is far from over.

The demands placed on technologies today are greater than ever: aircraft and engines must become even cleaner, quieter and more efficient – the vision for the future is emissions-free flight. The guiding star is the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Getting there calls for innovative technologies and groundbreaking propulsion concepts. A key driver of innovation, MTU systematically positions itself at the forefront of this development. In its technology agenda, the company lays out potential solutions and concepts for sustainable commercial engines with the aim of meeting global climate goals. MTU’s experts are working on evolutionary and revolutionary technologies simultaneously. Key elements are enhancements of the gas turbine engine based on the geared turbofan as well as the Flying Fuel Cell?.

Flying Fuel Cell?

New Generation Fighter Engine (NGFE)

And MTU is also setting standards for the future in the military sector: the New Generation Fighter Engine (NGFE) powers the New Generation Fighter (NGF), the next-generation fighter jet that is the centerpiece of Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Together with Safran Aircraft Engines and the Spanish engine and component manufacturer ITP Aero, MTU is developing, producing, and providing support for the system. MTU’s involvement in the NGF also sees the company continue its tradition of military compressors: for the NGFE, MTU is developing and manufacturing the entire compression system consisting of low-pressure compressor, inter-compressor duct, and high-pressure compressor. And there’s more: MTU is also involved in the propulsion system for the next generation of European military helicopters.