Tokyo, Jan 24: General Electric will jointly develop a passenger jet engine for Boeing with Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) and other firms, a report said today, citing David Calhoun, the chief executive officer of GE Aircraft Engines. Details of the development responsibilities and cost distribution have yet to be fleshed out between GE and IHI, but the Japanese partner is expected to develop the blades for the high-pressure compressor, a core portion of the engine, Calhoun told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The new engine will be used in a 250-seat passenger jet that Boeing plans to put into commercial operation in 2008, the newspaper said. The latest model, which features 15 to 20 percent higher fuel efficiency than current models, will replace Boeing's main midsize passenger aircraft, the b767, it said. Bureau Report