Germany’s MTU Aero Engines has finished building the first high-speed, low-pressure turbine for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1524G, the engine destined for the Bombardier C Series aircraft.

In a ceremony held today in Munich, MTU CEO Egon Behle, MTU COO Rainer Martens and Pratt & Whitney vice president of next generation products Bob Saia jointly tightened the last bolt. “By completing this work on schedule, we have taken the next crucial step toward the introduction of our globally unique technology into actual production,” said Behle. Pratt & Whitney and Russia’s Irkut Corporation have signed a contract for the companies to begin preliminary design activities on the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1400G engine, which was selected to power the Irkut MC-21.

MTU now plans to dispatch the turbine to Pratt & Whitney, which will install it on the first PurePower PW1524G engine and put it through its paces on the test stand at West Palm Beach, Fla. facility. The companies expect the new propulsion system to win certification in 2012 and Bombardier’s C Series to enter service in 2013. German flag carrier Lufthansa serves as the launch customer for the aircraft and its propulsion system.

Along with the C Series and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, scheduled to enter service in 2014, the PW1000G recently won a place on the proposed new Irkut MC-21 narrow-body jet, scheduled to enter service in 2016. Pratt & Whitney and Russia’s Irkut Corporation yesterday signed a contract for the companies to begin preliminary design activities on the PurePower PW1400G engine, designated to power the 150- to 210-seat narrowbody.