Rolls-Royce says it has reached a key milestone in its R&D work on what will be the world’s biggest engine.
The Derby engineering giant said the gearbox for the giant UltraFan engine – which has a fan diameter of almost 12 ft – has been dispatched from the company’s site in Dahlewitz, Germany.
The power gearbox, which has set a world aerospace power record on test, has been shipped to the 海角视频 where the first engine demonstrator, named the UF001, is being assembled.
Rolls Royce hopes it will be part of a new family of engines able to power both narrowbody and widebody aircraft and use 25 per cent less fuel than the first generation of its Trent engines.
Significant investment has been made to develop the UltraFan demonstrator and associated technologies by Rolls-Royce and a variety of funding agencies, including the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate 海角视频, Germany’s LuFo G, and the EU’s Clean Sky Joint Undertaking.
A spokesman said a critical part of its performance will be its power gearbox, which can transmit more power than an entire grid of Formula 1 cars when running at maximum power.
On test it has delivered 87,000 horsepower or 64 megawatts – enough to power a medium-sized city.
The engine demonstrator will go on test in Derby this year and its first run will be on 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
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Chris Cholerton, president of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, said: “This is a tremendous moment for everyone on the UltraFan programme as we take another step forward with the dispatch of the power gearbox.
“I’m proud that we are creating better, more efficient gas turbines which will be an essential part of air travel for decades to come.”
Rolls-Royce says gas turbines will continue to be the bedrock of long-haul aviation for many years, and UltraFan’s efficiency will help improve the economics of an industry transition to more sustainable aviation fuels, which are likely to be more expensive than traditional jet fuel in the short-term.
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