Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Rolls-Royce has reached a major milestone in the Republic of Korea Navy's FFX frigate programme, with the successful completion of acceptance tests for the MT30 gas turbine.

The MT30, which will power the FFX Batch II frigates, is the world's most power-dense marine gas turbine, meaning it packs in the maximum power into the smallest available space on board the ship.

The FFX Batch II programme is for eight ships, the first of which will be built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). With testing complete, the MT30 engine will be shipped to Korea, where Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will integrate it into the steel enclosure which also houses the air inlets, exhausts and ancillary equipment, prior to installation in the ship.

The factory acceptance test, which has to be completed before the gas turbine can be delivered, was carried out at the Rolls-Royce Test Facility in Bristol. It was put through a week of rigorous performance tests, witnessed by representatives from DSME, HHI and the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM).

Don Roussinos, Rolls-Royce , President - Naval, said: "The MT30 is becoming the gas turbine of choice for many of the world's major naval programmes, with its inherent reliability and power density driving its selection. The FFX II programme is significant in that it will be the first application for the MT30 outside of the UK and US markets, and also the first ship to use a single MT30, alongside diesels.

"We were delighted to welcome the team from Korea during the acceptance tests, and look forward to working with them in the future as we work towards delivery of this highly advanced ship to the Navy."

The MT30 is derived from Rolls-Royce aero engine technology and builds on over 45 million hours of operating experience. Producing 36 to 40 megawatts, it is the world's most powerful in-service marine gas turbine and has the highest power density - a key factor in naval propulsion where delivering a high power output in a compact space is essential.

The MT30 is already powering the U.S. Navy's Freedom class Littoral Combat Ships. It will power the U.S. Navy's DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer and UK Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and Type 26 frigates.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
  1. Rolls-Royce 's vision is to create better power for a changing world via two main business segments, Aerospace and Marine & Industrial Power Systems (MIPS). These business segments address markets with two strong technology platforms, gas turbines and reciprocating engines, for use on land, at sea and in the air.
  2. Aerospace comprises Civil Aerospace and Defence Aerospace. MIPS comprises Marine, Nuclear & Energy and Power Systems (RRPS). On 6 May 2014 Rolls-Royce announced it had signed an agreement to sell its Energy gas turbine and compressor business to Siemens for a £785m cash consideration. On completion, expected before the end of December 2014, Rolls-Royce will receive a further £200 million for a 25 year licensing agreement.
  3. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 120 countries, comprising more than 380 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and 1,600 energy and nuclear customers.
  4. Our business is focused on the 4Cs:
    • Customer - placing the customer at the heart of our business
    • Concentration - deciding where to grow and where not to
    • Cost - continually looking to increase efficiency
    • Cash - improving financial performance.
  5. Annual underlying revenue was £15.5 billion in 2013, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £70.4 billion at 30 June 2014.
  6. In 2013, Rolls-Royce  invested £1.1 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
  7. Rolls-Royce  employs over 55,000 people in 45 countries. Over 17,000 of these are engineers.
  8. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2013 we employed 379 graduates and 288 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes. Globally we have over 1,000 Rolls-Royce STEM ambassadors who are actively involved in education programmes and activities; we have set ourselves a target to reach 6 million people through our STEM outreach activities by 2020.

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Roberts
Communications Manager
Rolls-Royce plc
Mobile: +44 (0)7968906469
Email: Sarah.Roberts2@Rolls-Royce .com

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