Rolls-Royce power for military transport/tactical aircraft

Rolls-Royce is market leader in the military transport aircraft sector with around half of this market worldwide. This prime position results largely from the success of the T56 and AE 2100 engines, which have powered the four-engined Lockheed Martin C-130 family since the programme began.

Rolls-Royce is also a 28 per cent shareholder in EuroProp International, which was selected in 2003 to provide the TP400-D6 to power the Airbus A400M transport aircraft.

The TP400-D6 is a three-shaft configuration that will deliver a maximum power output in excess of 11,000 shaft horsepower. Measuring 5.3 meters in propeller diameter, it will be the Western world's largest turboprop engine. Rolls-Royce is responsible for engine integration, the high-pressure compressor, low-pressure shaft, intermediate casing and the structural parts for the bearing supports. The first engine wqas tested in October 2005 and the first aircraft deliveries are scheduled for 2009.

Rolls-Royce engines also power a number of tactical aircraft. The emerging unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market is of particular interest, with the AE 3007-powered Global Hawk having demonstrated its credentials by being the first UAV to depart from one continent and land on another under its own power. The Global Hawk is a past winner of the Collier Award, the premier annual US aerospace innovation and technology prize.

The third member of the "AE" common core family development, the AE 1107C-Liberty turboshaft, is powerplant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft under development for the US Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. This unique aircraft incorporates rotors that turn through 90 degrees, allowing the craft to lift vertically like a helicopter then transfer to forward flight, travelling at higher transit speeds than those achievable by helicopters.

The ShinMawya US-1A Kai amphibious surface-skimming search and rescue aircraft uses two Rolls-Royce engine types - four AE 2100J turboprop engines, together with a T800 turboshaft engine to provide the boundary layer control drive.

Several maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce engines. The latest generation Nimrod for the UK Ministry of Defence, the MRA4, sees the replacement of Rolls-Royce Spey engines that power today's Nimrod with the BR710 turbofan that powers a range of swift, high-altitude inter-continental executive jets.

Special variants of the Bombardier Global Express and Gulfstream V executive jets, have been produced for military transport and electronic reconnaissance usage, their extreme range and fuel efficiency making them ideal for long-loiter missions as well as long-haul journeys.