The Rolls-Royce composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan system for the Advance and UltraFan™ engine designs has completed its most recent phase of testing at the company's outdoor jet engine test facility at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

The fan system undertook crosswind testing on a Trent 1000 ALPS (Advanced Low Pressure System technology) engine, ahead of flight testing on the Rolls-Royce 747 flying test bed based in Tucson, Arizona.

Mark Thomas, Rolls-Royce , Chief Engineer - Technology and Future Programmes, Civil Large Engines, said: "The is another step forward in our validation of the CTi fan system technology for the Advance and UltraFan™ engine architectures. Successful completion of testing during crosswind flight conditions has verified the new fan design performance and will enable the programme to move on to the next phase of demonstration, including flight testing."

The CTi fan system includes carbon/titanium fan blades and a composite casing that reduce weight by up to 1,500lb per aircraft, the equivalent of carrying seven more passengers at no cost.

The Advance engine design will offer at least 20 per cent less fuel burn and CO₂ emissions than the first generation of Trent engine and could be ready for entry into service from 2020.

UltraFan™ a geared design with a variable pitch fan system, is based on technology that could be ready for service from 2025 and will offer at least 25 per cent less fuel and CO₂ emissions against the same baseline.

Opened in 2007, and expanded in 2013 to include a second test stand, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility at Stennis is one of three Rolls-Royce test sites in the world.  It conducts specialist development engine testing including noise, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance testing on all current Rolls-Royce large engine types and employs nearly 50 people at the facility.

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:

Bill O'Sullivan
Civil Aerospace Communications
Rolls-Royce plc
Tel: +44 (0)1332 246162
Email: bill.osullivan@rolls-royce.com

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