Tag Archives: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce officially opens world’s largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed
Testbed 80 to test the most efficient aero engines of today and the even more sustainable propulsion systems of the future
Rolls-Royce has officially opened Testbed 80, the world’s largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed, in a ceremony with the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, in Derby, UK.
The completion of the project is a major milestone after almost three years of construction and a £90m investment. With an internal area of 7,500m2, making it larger than a Premiership football pitch, Testbed 80 was designed with distinctive technologies and systems which are more capable and complex than any of our other testbeds. The testbed conducted its first run on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine at the test facility in Derby, UK earlier this year.
Warren East, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce, said: “Testbed 80 is the largest facility of its type in the world. However, it is not only big, it is also smart and features the most advanced testing technology we have ever used. As the new global hub of our testing capability, it will support the next stage of our UltraFan programme as we begin ground testing the first demonstrator in 2022. This incredible piece of infrastructure is a very visible sign of our commitment to this site and secures the future of Derby as the home of large engine development, continuing a history that began in the late 1960s with the RB211.”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “This testbed here in Derby shows that the UK remains a global leader in aeroengine technology. I’m proud that we’re supporting Rolls-Royce’s development of the highly-efficient UltraFan engine, as well as investment in green and cutting-edge aerospace technology here in the UK that will create high-skilled, well-paid jobs for decades to come.
“As the civil aviation market recovers, the innovation of great British companies such as Rolls-Royce and the entire aerospace sector are central to our plans to build back better from the pandemic and end our contribution to climate change by 2050.”
Testbed 80 will support all three pillars of our sustainability strategy. Firstly, continuing to improve the efficiency of the gas turbine. The facility has been designed to test a range of today’s engines, including the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, but will also have the capability to test the UltraFan® demonstrator, the blueprint for our next generation of engines. UltraFan will be 25% more efficient than the first Trent engine, and we will begin ground testing the demonstrator at the testbed in 2022.
Secondly, we are committed to promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), which can already be used as “drop-in” fuels in our existing engines. Testbed 80 has been designed to support this commitment – it is equipped with a 140,000-litre fuel tank (you could fill your car up almost 3,000 times with this amount of fuel) for different fuel types, including SAFs. Next year, we also plan to run our first UltraFan demonstrator test using 100% SAF.
Finally, in line with our ambition to pioneer novel, more sustainable technologies, the testbed is designed to have the capability to test the hybrid or all-electric flight systems of the future.
Part of the new technology development for Testbed 80 has been supported by the ATI’s PACE project, specifically for the UltraFan.
Rolls-Royce is pleased to have partnered with MDS Aero Support Corporation of Ottawa, Canada, for the design and construction of this facility.
Rolls-Royce to test 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel in next-generation engine demonstrator
The Rolls-Royce Trent engine, housing ALECSys technology, that will be used for the Sustainable Aviation Fuel tests Ground tests with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to demonstrate Rolls-Royce engines can unlock SAF’s potential to reduce emissions As part of its ongoing decarbonisation strategy, Rolls-Royce is to use 100% sustainable aviation fuel for the first time in engine ground tests on next-generation engine technology.
The tests will aim to confirm that unblended SAF makes a significant contribution to improving the environmental performance of gas turbine engines.
The SAF being used in the tests was produced by low-carbon fuel specialist World Energy in Paramount, California, sourced by Shell Aviation and delivered by SkyNRG. This unblended fuel has the potential to significantly reduce net CO2 lifecycle emissions by more than 75 per cent compared to conventional jet fuel, with the possibility of further reductions in years to come.
These tests aim to demonstrate that our current engines can operate with 100% SAF as a full “drop-in” option, laying the groundwork for moving such fuels towards certification. At present, SAF is certified for blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel and can be used on all current Rolls-Royce engines.
Starting in the coming weeks in Derby, UK, the ground tests will involve a Trent engine which also incorporates ALECSys (Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System) lean-burn technology.
ALECSys is part of the UltraFan® next generation engine demonstrator programme, which offers a 25% fuel saving over the first generation of Trent engines.
Paul Stein, Rolls-Royce Chief Technology Officer, said: “Aviation is a tremendous force for good, keeping the world connected, but we have to do that sustainably. These tests aim to show that we can deliver real emissions reductions. If SAF production can be scaled up – and aviation needs 500 million tonnes a year by 2050 – we can make a huge contribution for our planet.”
Gene Gebolys, Chief Executive Officer and founder, World Energy, said: “World Energy exists to empower leaders to innovate by providing the world’s most advanced low carbon fuels. Rolls-Royce is putting their technological prowess to work to understand how to maximise their potential in engines and we are proud to support them.”
Theye Veen, Managing Director, SkyNRG, added: “This programme is a great example of what can be achieved when companies from across the aviation value chain that share an ambition of reducing emissions work together. As a pioneer in SAF, SkyNRG encourages innovative tests like this run by Rolls-Royce.”
In addition to supplying the SAF with SkyNRG, Shell Aviation is also providing Rolls-Royce with AeroShell lubricants for the ALECSys engine test programme.
Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation, commented: “For over 100 years, Rolls-Royce and Shell have worked together to drive aviation’s progress. This collaboration brings us one step closer to decarbonising Aviation. As well as the SAF, Shell Aviation will provide offsets using nature-based solutions to make the test net zero emissions, reinforcing how multiple measures are essential if aviation is to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions.”
The ALECSys programme is supported by the European Union via Clean Sky and in the UK by the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK; the 100% SAF testing programme is additionally supported by ATI, iUK and Gulf Aviation.
Rolls-Royce announces breakthroughs In artificial intelligence ethics and trustworthiness
Rolls-Royce has announced two breakthroughs in artificial intelligence ethics, which could help gain society’s trust of the technology and accelerate the next generation of industrialisation, known as industry 5.0.
The first breakthrough is an AI ethics framework, which is a method that any organisation can use to ensure the decisions it takes to use AI in critical and non-critical applications are ethical. This is the first time AI ethics for industrial contexts has moved beyond theory and into practical application.
Secondly, within that framework, is the first step-by-step process for ensuring the outcomes of AI algorithms can be trusted. This five-layer checking system focuses on the outputs of algorithms, not the algorithms themselves, which are constantly changing. The checking system prevents biases from developing in algorithms undetected and with results being constantly monitored, it ensures they are trustworthy.
The ethics framework and its trust process have been peer reviewed by subject matter experts in several big tech firms, as well as experts in the automotive, pharmaceutical, academic and government sectors. Both will be published in full under Creative Commons licence later this year on the Rolls-Royce.com website.
In a keynote speech at London Tech Week’s AI Summit, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer, Warren East, said: “By publishing our findings we want to move the AI ethics conversation forwards from discussing concepts and guidelines, to accelerating the process of applying it ethically.
“There is no practical reason why trust in AI cannot be created now. And it’s only with the acceptance and permission of our society – based on that trust – that the full benefits of AI can be realised, and it can take its place as a partner in our lives and work.
“As a business we are open to collaborative innovation and we will continue to talk to key stakeholders, customers, counterparts and technology leaders to share our work in detail to see how we can help each other progress for the greater growth, wealth and health of our world.”
Rolls-Royce is one of the world’s leading industrial technology companies and we have been applying advanced analytics for more than 30 years, and using artificial intelligence to disrupt the market with our real-time engine health monitoring service since 1999.
These latest breakthroughs have been achieved as a part of our work to apply AI throughout our business, including the use of robotic inspections on critical components. The AI development work is spearheaded by our data innovation business, R2 Data Labs.
Caroline Gorski, Global Director of R2 Data Labs, said: “Rolls-Royce’s AI capabilities are embedded deeply into other companies’ products and services and so aren’t widely known. Rolls-Royce’s AI doesn’t often feature in a consumers’ understanding of how the digital world is changing their lives.
“The current debate about the use of AI is focused on the consumer and the treatment of consumer and personal data. But we believe that what we have created – by dealing with a challenge rooted squarely in the industrial application of AI – will help not only with the application of AI in other industries but far more widely.”
The two breakthroughs were made during work around an internal assurance challenge where robotic inspections were proposed for the inspections of critical components. During the peer review process, it became apparent that both the ethical framework around that decision making, as well as the trustworthiness process, were new and had the potential to be applied across all uses of artificial intelligence.
Caroline Gorski, said: “There is much more still to do. We haven’t solved all of AI’s challenges but we hope that when we make this work freely available, it can help organisations large and small around the world grow using AI for good, ethical outcomes.”
Rolls-Royce Launches First-time Immersive Virtual Reality Training For Business Aviation Customers
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rolls-Royce continues to ensure world-class support for our global customer base. As part of our IntelligentEngine vision we are further expanding the use of immersive Virtual Reality technology for customer training.
The latest addition to the remote training programme is an instructor-led distance learning course, providing a comprehensive overview of the construction, design and operation of the Rolls-Royce BR725 engine that powers Gulfstream’s current flagship G650 business aircraft family. After completion of this comprehensive two-day training course, participants will be able to service the engine and undertake non-routine maintenance.
Andy Robinson, SVP Customers and Services – Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “Rolls-Royce has been the leading engine supplier for business aircraft for more than two decades thanks to our continued commitment to the highest levels of service support. We are tremendously proud to have been voted number one in the latest Engine Product Support Services Survey of Aviation International News (AIN) by our operators.
Digitalisation plays a vital role in in bringing our IntelligentEngine vision to life; we use it to design, test and maintain our engines. This new immersive live Virtual Training tool is nothing short of a game-changer – it makes us the leader in technical training and allows customers to participate in the new training, wherever they are in the world. They just need an internet connection, and the required VR equipment, which will be shipped directly to their door,” Andy added.
Lee Bradshaw, Director of Technical Operations, Cox Aviation, said: “The new Virtual Reality maintenance course is a great example of the innovative thinking that is needed to meet the challenges of our ever-changing world. This programme allows each student to immerse themselves in an augmented environment full of realistic images, interactive functions and auditory feedback to delve deeper into the engine like never before. The course complements the industry-leading service already provided by Rolls-Royce and is another reminder of why this company is pioneering the way in creative solutions for the future.”
While not intended to completely replace practical training, Rolls-Royce see the value Virtual Reality adds for customers, such as higher flexibility and the elimination of the need to ship a full size training engine. The user finds themself as part of two realistic scenarios – the engine installed on the aircraft in a virtual hangar and the BR725 engine alone, just like it would be in our in-person training courses. The immersive environment allows them not only to watch the process steps to get familiar with the respective task, but to interact with the engine and the tools, and actually accomplish the task under the constant supervision of the instructor.
Where to enroll? https://rollsroycetraining.wufoo.com/forms/maj05r114g9sx7/
About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
1. Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs.
2. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
3. Annual underlying revenue was £15.3 billion in 2019, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services.
4. In 2019, Rolls-Royce invested £1.45 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
5. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
Preparing for a new digital normal: Rolls-Royce opens its Digital Academy for free training
Rolls-Royce is publishing, for free, its world-class digital skills training programme to help people and businesses around the world prepare for a potentially digital-centric recovery from COVID-19.
Bringing together its trusted training partners and platforms, the first suite of courses includes introductions to data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, coding and digital culture. Courses range from ‘bitesize’ 20-minute sessions to extended fully certified training programmes.
This release by Rolls-Royce follows its founding role in establishing the global Emergent Alliance, a voluntary group of technology companies and data science specialists working together to find new ways to accelerate and smooth the path to economic recovery as the pandemic passes.
The Rolls-Royce Digital Academy has trained 20,000 of our employees in the last two years as it assists our transformation into one of the world’s leading industrial technology companies – and these are the training courses that are helping make that change happen.
Head of the Digital Academy at Rolls-Royce, Manisha Mistry, said: “Many people and businesses are experiencing incredibly tough circumstances and these free training packages are a tangible way for us to offer some help. Many have been tried and tested by Rolls-Royce employees. They can help people prepare for work and businesses transform ready for a digital future, just like we’ve been doing at Rolls-Royce for the last couple of years.
“Whether you’re 8, 18 or 80 years-old, these training packages will help you during this disruptive period of isolation: whether you need to keep your kids occupied, need new skills for a future job or just want to learn more digital skills in anticipation of the future.”
Supporting partners for this open learning programme, and the tools they are offering are:
- DataCamp – an opportunity to experience the top data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning courses used by Rolls-Royce employees
- edX – Rolls-Royce’s own CPD-accredited digital skills fundamentals programme containing six key courses including data awareness, the power of data and agile mindset.
- Google for Education – Google Applied Digital Skills helps teachers and students learn practical digital skills using the free project-based video curriculum. The ready-to-use video lessons teach digital skills that have immediate, real-life applications that provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the classroom and on the job, from researching to analysing data.
- IBM – Machine Learning for Kids: it will soon be normal for machine learning systems to drive our cars and help our doctors to diagnose and treat illnesses. This course provides hands-on experience in an easy-to-use guided learning environment to the people who will be programming the machines of the future.
- Learning Tree – Delivered by an award-winning industry leader, immerse in a suite of e-learning modules, white papers, skills assessments, live and recorded webinars on topics from agile to data analytics.
- TeenTech – For students 11-19 years, there are weekly insights into world-class organisations and the opportunities that lie within them. Each session will be themed and hosted by sponsors and industry experts with Rolls-Royce leading an Innovation at Home day on 18th May. Students can ask questions, develop their own solutions to global challenges and learn more about different careers.
- TechWeCan –free, easy to use and fun lesson plans for home schooling children (aged 10-13); children can learn about the opportunities a career in technology can offer; or join weekly Tech We Can Tuesday live lessons from 28th April at 10.30am; taking part in the City of Tomorrow challenge, where students apply their knowledge of science, technology, and engineering to create their City of Tomorrow where no ideas are too big, and everything is smarter, kinder, and safer than before.
People keen to learn will be able to access the courses from Friday 1 May through and https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/digital-academy.aspx
About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs.
Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
Annual underlying revenue was £15.3 billion in 2019, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services.
In 2019, Rolls-Royce invested £1.45 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
Rolls-Royce Celebrates International Women’s Day By Signing Up For IATA’S 25by2025 Gender Diversity Campaign
As a member of 25by2025 we will deliver on the below commitments:
- Increasing the number of women in leadership positions to a minimum representation of 25 per cent by 2025
- Reporting annually on key diversity metrics
Rolls-Royce is celebrating International Women’s Day by announcing that we have signed up for IATA’s 25by2025 campaign, an initiative to advance gender diversity in the aviation industry by 2025. We are proud to be the first aerospace business, outside of the airline community, to support this campaign, which recognises the valuable contribution that women make to the industry.
By joining many of our airline customers in supporting this campaign, we confirm our commitment to diversifying our workforce and promoting more women into leadership roles.
Jacqueline Sutton, Rolls-Royce, Chief Customer Officer – Civil Aerospace, said: “With only three per cent of CEO positions in our industry held by women, we have a clear and recognised gender imbalance challenge that must be addressed. We are proud to be the first non-airline to participate in this exciting IATA initiative, which leads the way in taking the necessary steps to solving this issue. As a company, we are committed to the diversification of our workforce and to developing the many talented and gifted women among us into leaders of the future.”
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO, said: “25by2025 aims to improve gender diversity in aviation. With Rolls-Royce joining, we are adding a new dimension to the campaign, which initially focused on airlines. Gender diversity needs to be a priority across the value chain. I hope that the leadership of Rolls Royce in signing up to 25by2025 will inspire more of our industry partners to join.”
About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
- Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs.2
- Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
- Annual underlying revenue was £15.3 billion in 2019, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services.
- In 2019, Rolls-Royce invested £1.45 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
- The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc 2019 Full Year Results
Warren East, Chief Executive commented: “After a challenging first half, we had a good end to 2019, delivering 25% growth in full year underlying operating profit and an encouraging level of free cash flow. Our restructuring efforts gained momentum, with run-rate cost savings of £269m. Civil Aerospace improved its underlying profit significantly, with record engine deliveries, good aftermarket performance and improved OE unit losses. We made further progress on the Trent 1000; cash costs are in line with guidance. We remain on target to reduce aircraft on ground to single digits by the end of Q2 2020.
We continued to invest significantly in R&D and took important steps towards becoming a leader in low carbon technologies.
We grew our electrical capabilities with the acquisitions of Siemens’ eAircraft business and a majority stake in Qinous, as well as developing new in-house hybrid-electric solutions.”
- Strong 2019 underlying operating profit driving FCF; reinforcing our confidence for 2020
- Good end to 2019: strong Civil Aerospace aftermarket; better Power Systems trading in Q4
- Underlying core operating profit up 25% to £810m; reported group operating loss £(852)m
- Core FCF £911m led by higher profit and reflecting £173m Trent 1000 insurance receipts
- £0.5bn improvement in net cash* position to £1.4bn; gross debt reduced by £1.1bn
- Trent 1000 in-service cash costs £578m; £1.4bn exceptional charge in 2019 results
- Trent 1000 guidance unchanged from November trading update
- Record widebody engine deliveries; 14% lower OE unit loss; 64% share of new orders
- Defence: record £5.3bn order intake driving 26% order book growth and healthy cash flow
- Power Systems: revenue up 4% & operating margin +90bps despite market challenges
- 2020: underlying operating profit up ~15%; at least £1bn FCF; excl. any material COVID-19 impact
- Remain confident in mid-term target of at least £1 per share of FCF (>£1.9bn FCF)
COMMENTING ON ROLLS-ROYCE PLC’S ACTIVITIES IN AFRICA, PATRICK REGIS, PRESIDENT FOR AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST, SAID:
“Africa is entering a new era buoyed by the promise of free trade, open skies and resilient growth. Home to the world’s fastest-growing aviation market and set to influence the shape of global energy trends, Africa is in a unique position to pursue innovative clean energy technologies. As we enter this new decade, we are focused on growing our presence across the continent and partnering with Africa’s dynamic and forward-looking policymakers, investors and industry leaders to help close the deficit in electrification and support a more sustainable industry powered by innovation and collaboration.”
ROLL-ROYCE CIVIL AEROSPACE DIVISION – AFRICA – OPERATIONAL UPDATE
In 2019:
· We delivered 17 aircraft, with entry into service:
o Air Senegal – 2x A330neo
o Air Mauritius – 2x A330neo
o Egyptair – 6x Boeing 787 Dreamliners
o SAA – 2 x A350
• We have 75 aircraft in service and 35 on order
• Our average fleet age is 5.2 year in service
• Total number of Customers: 20 in 14 countries
• Market share of widebody passenger aircraft in service is 50%
• Market share of widebody passenger aircraft backlog is 100%
What to expect in 2020
• Entry into Service:
o Uganda Airlines x2 A330neo
o Ethiopian x 2 A350
o Rwandair x 2 A330neo
2019 FULL YEAR GROUP HIGHLIGHTS
Financial:
- Both Group and core underlying operating profit increased 25% to £808m and £810m respectively; led by a £195m organic improvement in Civil Aerospace underlying operating profit to £44m and underlying profit growth in Power Systems of 15% following better Q4 trading
- Strong Group free cash flow (FCF) of £873m (2018: £568m) and core FCF £911m (2018: £648m), driven by improved underlying operating profit and Civil aftermarket cash margin; £578m Trent 1000 in-service cash costs partly offset by £173m insurance receipt
- FCF before working capital movement (inventory, receivables & payables), insurance receipts and Trent 1000 costs was £747m, 79% higher than the prior year (2018: £418m)
- Trent 1000 exceptional programme charge of £1,361m consistent with our November trading statement, driving reported operating loss of £(852)m (2018: £(1,161)m)
- Core R&D cash spend increased modestly to £1,108m; good progress on electrical strategy including acquisition of Siemens’ eAircraft business and strengthening of hybrid capabilities in Power Systems; small modular reactor (SMR) development progressing following UK Government matched funding; investment in future opportunities in Defence (Tempest, Future Vertical Lift, B-52)
- Net cash excluding lease liabilities improved to £1,361m (2018: £840m); gross debt £1.1bn lower
Operational:
- Civil Aerospace: record 510 widebody engines delivered; further progress in reducing average widebody OE loss, down 14% to £1.2m; 6% growth in large engine installed fleet to 5,029 with engine flying hour growth of 7%. Widebody market share of 64% achieved on new orders in 2019
- Power Systems: revenues up 4%; strong power generation growth and market share gains in Asia; increased services penetration; underlying operating profit margin up 90bps to 10.1%
- Defence: excellent performance in 2019 on both orders and cash flow; record order intake of £5.3bn and book-to-bill ratio of 1.6x driving healthy cash flow; 499 aero engines delivered
- ITP Aero: good underlying revenue growth of 21% and strong profit growth to £111m
- Restructuring plan on track; 2,900 cumulative headcount reduction with run rate cost savings of £269m achieved since the programme commenced in June 2018
Civil Aerospace in-service performance:
- Trent XWB now our second largest installed fleet; leading engines now in their fifth year in service. Fleet leader has flown over 22,000 hours without a shop visit; Trent XWB-84 OE deficit reduced by over 20% in 2019 and remains on track to reach breakeven by the end of 2020
- Trent 1000: roll-out of technical fixes progressing well, further actions underway to reduce customer disruption; in-service cash costs unchanged at £2.4bn across 2017-23. AOG reduction to single-digit by end of Q2 2020, unchanged since November update
- Design progressing on track for the improved Trent 1000 TEN high pressure turbine (HPT) blade, the last major issue to resolve; certification of this component still expected in the first half of 2021
Market environment: mid-term ambition of £1 FCF per share remains supported
- Updated widebody engine delivery expectations of 450 in 2020 and 400-450 per year over the mid-term, following previously announced airframer build rate reductions
- Despite challenges in certain Power Systems end markets, growth expected to continue led by mission-critical power generation, rising services penetration and further geographical expansion
- Defence targeting a number of attractive mid-term growth opportunities, particularly in the US where we are well positioned
- The outbreak of COVID-19 represents a macro risk and is likely to have an impact on air traffic growth in the near term; however long term growth trends remain intact
Rolls-Royce BR725 Engine Tops One Million Flying Hours
The Rolls-Royce BR725 engine recently achieved another impressive milestone by reaching one million flying hours. The engine, powering Gulfstream’s highly successful ultra-long-range G650™ business aircraft family, has established a reputation for excellent reliability, efficiency and speed, combined with outstanding environmental performance.
The performance of the BR725 enabled the Gulfstream G650ER™ and its sister aircraft G650 to revolutionise the business aviation market, flying faster and further than any other ultra-long-range corporate aircraft before. Since entry into service in 2012, the aircraft has achieved more than 100 city pair records, among those the farthest fastest flight in business aviation history from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona. There are more than 800 BR725 engines in service today, with many of these supported by Rolls-Royce’s market leading CorporateCare® and CorporateCare Enhanced.
The BR725-powered G650 family can fly up to 7,500 nm/13,890 km at Mach 0.85 and 6,400 nm/11,853 km at Mach 0.90. The G650 and the G650ER are capable of a near-supersonic maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 and have a maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 feet/15,545 metres.
Nuno Taborda, Programme Director Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “Seeing the BR725 reach one million flying hours is an impressive milestone and we are very proud of this achievement. With one speed record after another broken by the G650, it sets the standard for performance in business aviation – you simply can’t fly farther faster. All this comes with superb levels of availability and reliability, powering the BR725 into a class of its own.”
With more than 3,200 Rolls-Royce powered business jets in service worldwide, the company is the leading business aviation engine supplier. More than 2,000 of those aircraft are covered by CorporateCare and CorporateCare Enhanced; about 70 per cent of new delivery Rolls-Royce powered aircraft are enrolled in the programme.
CorporateCare Enhanced, the comprehensive, fixed-cost engine maintenance management plan, provides customers with a global support infrastructure which includes: Engine Health Monitoring, a worldwide network of Authorised Service Centres and globally distributed spare parts and engines, all managed by our dedicated 24/7 Business Aircraft Availability Centre.
CorporateCare Enhanced offers substantial financial and operational benefits to customers, such as increased asset value and liquidity, mitigating maintenance cost risk and protection against unforeseen costs and unscheduled events anywhere in the world. Increased aircraft availability, reduced management burden, full risk transfer, direct priority access to the Rolls-Royce services infrastructure and remote site assistance are further benefits for our customers.
Most Powerful Rolls-Royce Business Aviation Engine’s Takes To The Skies For The First Time
Two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines have successfully powered the brand new Gulfstream G700 to the skies for the first time. The purpose-designed engine, the most powerful in the Rolls-Royce business jet propulsion portfolio, is the exclusive powerplant for Gulfstream’s flagship aircraft, the world’s most spacious business jet.
The Gulfstream G700, which used a 30/70 blend of sustainable aviation fuel for this first flight, took off from Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, USA, at 1:19 p.m. local time and landed 2 hours and 32 minutes later. The aircraft and its engines will now undergo an intensive flight test programme ahead of certification.
Dr. Dirk Geisinger, Director – Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “This is a truly great moment for all of us and we are very proud. The cutting-edge Pearl 700 is a perfect fit for the Gulfstream G700 and will help the aircraft deliver an unrivalled combination of ultralong-range, speed and performance. We have already achieved more than 1,500 testing hours and 5,000 cycles, and we are fully committed to supporting the G700 flight test programme.”
With more than 3,200 business jets in service today powered by Rolls-Royce engines, the company is the world’s leading engine supplier in this market. The Pearl 700 is the newest member of the state-of-the-art Pearl engine family, first introduced in 2018, and marks the seventh new civil aerospace engine introduced by Rolls-Royce over the past decade. Gulfstream’s selection of the Pearl 700 to power its new flagship aircraft reaffirms Rolls-Royce’s position as the leading business aviation engine manufacturer. The engine was developed at the Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence for Business Aviation Engines in Dahlewitz, Germany.
The Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector, with a brand-new low-pressure system, resulting in an 8 per cent increase in take-off thrust at 18,250lb compared to the BR725 engine. The engine offers a 12 per cent better thrust-to-weight ratio and 5 per cent higher efficiency, while maintaining its class-leading low noise and emissions performance. The result is an engine that is highly efficient, but also able to propel the aircraft nearly as fast as the speed of sound (Mach 0.925).
It brings together innovative technologies derived from the Rolls-Royce Advance2 technology demonstrator programmes with proven features from the Rolls-Royce BR700, today’s leading engine family in business aviation. This includes a highly-efficient 51.8” blisked fan, a high pressure compressor with a market-leading pressure ratio of 24:1 and six blisked stages, an ultra-low emissions combustor, a two-stage shroud-less high pressure turbine and an enhanced four -stage low pressure turbine, that is one of the most efficient and compact in the industry.
The Pearl engine family is part of the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision of a future where product and service become indistinguishable thanks to advancements in digital capability. As well as a new-generation Engine Health Monitoring System that introduces advanced vibration detection, the family benefits from the incorporation of advanced remote engine diagnostics. It is also enabled for bi-directional communications, allowing for easy remote reconfiguration of engine-monitoring features from the ground. Cloud-based analytics, smart algorithms and Artificial Intelligence continue to play an increasing role in delivering exceptional levels of availability and greater peace of mind for our customers.
Rolls-Royce Starts Manufacture of World’s Largest Fan Blades – Made of Composite Material – For Next Generation Ultra Fan
Rolls-Royce has started manufacture of the world’s largest fan blades, for its UltraFan® demonstrator engine that will set new standards in efficiency and sustainability.
As a set the composite blades have a 140-inch diameter, which is almost the size of a current
narrowbody fuselage, and are being made at the company’s technology hub in Bristol, United Kingdom.
The milestone also marks the official start of production of parts for the demonstrator.UltraFan will set new standards in efficiency and sustainability, offering a 25 per cent fuel reduction
compared to the first generation of Trent engine, and deliver the same percentage reduction in emissions.
Part of that efficiency improvement comes from UltraFan’s composite fan blades and fan case, which reduce weight on a twin-engine aircraft by 700kg, the equivalent of seven people travelling “weight free”.
Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “This is the decade of UltraFan and it’s exciting to enter the 2020s with the start of production of the demonstrator engine. We have got
all the building blocks in place, the design, the technologies, a brand-new testbed, and now we are actually seeing the engine come together.”
UltraFan, which will start ground tests in 2021 and be available towards the end of this decade, is a scalable design from 25,000lb all the way up to 100,000lb. It also features:
1.A new engine core architecture – to deliver maximum fuel burn efficiency and low emissions
Advanced ceramic matrix composites – heat resistant components that operate more effectively in high turbine temperatures.
A geared design to maximise high-thrust, high-bypass ratio engine efficiency
2
UltraFan is a key element of Rolls-Royce’s sustainability strategy, which involves continual research
to improve gas turbine performance as well as pioneering electrification and working with industrial
partners to accelerate the incorporation of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
It is also part of the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision, which brings together its products,
services and digital technology.
The fan blades are created through the build-up of hundreds of layers of carbon-fibre materials, pre-filled with state-of-the-art, toughness-enhanced, resin material.
Heat and pressure are then applied,
and each blade is finished with a thin titanium leading edge, which offers extreme protection against
erosion, foreign objects and bird strikes.
Composite blades have already been extensively tested on an Advanced Low Pressure System development engine, including in-flight testing on the Rolls-Royce Flying Test Bed.
ALPS is a partnership between Rolls-Royce, Clean Sky, Innovate UK, BEIS, ATI, ITP Aero and GKN.
The portfolio of technologies being developed to enable UltraFan is supported by ATI,
Innovate UK, LuFo and Clean Sky 2.
- Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive
solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs. - Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and
leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear
customers. - Annual underlying revenue was £15 billion in 2018, around half of which came from the
provision of aftermarket services. - In 2018, Rolls-Royce invested £1.4 billion on research and development. We also support a
global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at
the forefront of scientific research. - The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further
developing employee skills.
