Aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) and General Electric have announced that they have successfully completed aircraft engine ground testing on noise-reduction improvements being incorporated into the new Boeing 747-8.

The three-week ground test on a GE90-115B engine was carried out at GE’s test facility in Peebles, Ohio, US and focused on noise-reduction technologies planned for incorporation into the engine case and nacelle of GE’s GEnx-2B, which will power the 747-8.

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The test results reveal a total projected reduction in noise levels of some 10 decibels (dB) relative to the 747-400. According to the companies, this noise reduction puts the 747-8 10 dB below International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Chapter 4 standards.

The companies said that the GEnx engine nacelle will be fitted with a one-piece, sound-absorbent acoustic inlet liner which, along with the larger 104-inch fan diameter of the GEnx engine, almost doubles the noise absorption area and reduces the weight as compared to designs currently in production.