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Rolls-Royce to Power Enhanced Airbus A350-1000

Dépèche transmise le 19 juin 2011 par Business Wire

Rolls-Royce to Power Enhanced Airbus A350-1000

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed an agreement to be the exclusive engine provider for an enhanced version of the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

“We are delighted to announce that together with our partner Rolls-Royce, we will develop and produce an enhanced A350-1000 aircraft with outstanding payload and long range, the best economics, and 25 per cent lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions than its nearest competitor.”

The new higher thrust version of the Trent XWB, which is the most advanced civil aircraft engine on offer in the world, will deliver 97,000 lbs maximum thrust. The additional thrust will be achieved by the inclusion of new high temperature turbine technology, increasing the size of the engine core and advanced fan aerodynamics. This will help Airbus to offer increased range and capacity for the A350 -1000.

Mark King, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “Trent XWB engines currently on test are proving to be the most advanced civil aero engines in the world today. The higher thrust variant of the Trent XWB incorporates further innovations from our Advance 3 technology demonstrator programmes. Many of the technological and performance improvements of the higher thrust Trent XWB will also be used to enhance performance of other members of the Trent engine family.”

Fabrice Brégier, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to announce that together with our partner Rolls-Royce, we will develop and produce an enhanced A350-1000 aircraft with outstanding payload and long range, the best economics, and 25 per cent lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions than its nearest competitor.” He added: “This will unequivocally assure the A350-1000’s position as the most efficient aircraft in its category.”

As with the Trent XWB for the Airbus A350-800 and -900, the higher thrust variant of the Trent XWB is an engine specifically tailored for the aircraft it will power, the A350-1000. The higher thrust version for the -1000 will offer significant benefits in design and systems integration which will reduce fuel burn, life-cycle costs and environmental impact.

Currently six Trent XWB engines are being tested and are delivering better than targeted results. Flight testing of Trent XWB engines is scheduled to begin later this year.

More than 1,100 Trent XWB engines have been ordered by 36 customers making it the fastest selling member of the Rolls-Royce Trent engine family. The higher thrust variant of the Trent XWB is scheduled to run for the first time in mid-2014 and enter service in mid-2017.

Notes to Editors:

1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.

2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,500 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.

3. Annual underlying revenues were £10.8 billion in 2010, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £59.2 billion at 31 December 2010, providing visibility of future levels of activity.

4. Rolls-Royce employs over 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.

5. In 2010, Rolls-Royce invested £923 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.

6. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.

7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.

8. Rolls-Royce is a market leader in modern wide-body aircraft, with a family of six Trent engines covering all major platforms. The Group has achieved a 50 per cent market share in the wide body market, with 1,790 Trent engines in service and more than 2,400 on order.

9. The Trent XWB is the most advanced civil turbo fan engine in the world and the fastest selling Trent ever. Orders are in place for 574 aircraft, from 36 customers.