Rolls-Royce celebrates first run of latest Trent engine

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has celebrated the first run of the Trent XWB, the latest member of its Trent® aero engine family.

The Trent XWB, the fastest-selling Trent engine programme ever, with more than 1,000 ordered, ran for first time on June 17 on a testbed in Derby, UK. The engine’s first run meets programme commitments set out in 2006.

The engine, which will power the Airbus A350 XWB family of aircraft, is the sixth Trent family member. The first Trent aero engine, the Trent 700, began service in 1995 and the engine family has now accumulated more than 40 million hours in service.

Specifically designed for the Airbus A350 XWB family, the Trent XWB is the most fuel efficient and environmentally sensitive large engine design available today, with 28 per cent better fuel efficiency than pre-Trent generation engines.

Mark King, Rolls-Royce President - Civil Aerospace, said: ‘’This is another significant milestone and once again demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s track record of consistently delivering on major leading-edge technology programmes. The Trent XWB will lead the aerospace industry in terms of quality, efficiency and environmental performance.’’

Didier Evrard, Head of the A350 XWB Programme, Airbus, said: “This is a great day for the A350 XWB programme, for Rolls-Royce and Airbus. The first engine run of the Trent XWB has been achieved fully on time with our schedule and is a major milestone that marks the coming to life of the new aircraft.”

The first run starts the most extensive pre-flight programme in Trent history, before the start of flight tests on an Airbus A380 testbed next year and A350 XWB flight tests in 2012. Seven development engines will be running by early 2011.

1. Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
3. Rolls-Royce employs over 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills.
4. In 2009, Rolls-Royce invested £864 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental aspects of its products, in particular the reduction of emissions.
5. Annual underlying revenues were £10.1 billion in 2009, of which about half came from services revenues. The firm and announced order book stood at £58.3 billion at 31 December 2009, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
6. In addition to the Trent XWB, the Trent 1000 engine is being readied for entry into service on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the end of this year. More than 2,400 Trent engines are in the Rolls-Royce order book and 2009 was a record year for deliveries - 224 across four Airbus and Boeing programmes.