Celebrating an icon of the RAF fleet

Delivery of the final RB199 Repair & Overhaul engine


Representatives from Royal Air Force (RAF) and Rolls-Royce employees past and present came together at our Defence Bristol site to celebrate the iconic Tornado aircraft.

The occasion marked the delivery of the final RB199 Repair & Overhaul engine from our Defence Operations Facility in Bristol to the UK Ministry of Defence – but the mood was anything but sombre.

European engine collaboration

The RB199 engine was designed and developed by Turbounion, a European engine collaboration formed of Rolls-Royce, MTU and Avio – and we have been providing the power to the RAF fleet since the first aircraft was delivered on the 1 July 1980. Since that date the RAF has flown 3.3million Engine Flying Hours (EFH).

As the aircraft approaches its out of service date in 2019, it is important to remember the vital role that Tornado has played,  both in times of peace and conflict. As a growing capability in the Cold War period, the Tornado went on to prove it’s combat readiness in 1991 as part of Operation Granby (Gulf War 1) becoming the first choice for air commanders for missions through Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya and Syria.

“Our greatest successes have come when we innovate with our customers”, a phrase embodied by the work undertaken in partnership between the RAF and Rolls-Royce since our first support contract signed in 1978. Under the current ROCET2 support contract, signed in 2010, this joint propulsion team has achieved some significant milestones and, in turn, delivered value to both Rolls-Royce and the Royal Air Force. Here are some of the key achievements:

  • 243,000 Total EFH (to date)
  • 100% engine availability maintained for the customer
  • 600 Repair & Overhaul engines output (including 145 in 2011 to support operations in Libya)
  • Expanded service support ‘on base’ through the opening our Service Delivery Centre at RAF Marham in 2013

Having shared reflections on the RAF and Rolls-Royce achievements, the celebrations culminated with Air Commodore David Bradshaw cutting a commemorative cake. As Lightning Force Commander, the presence of Air Commodore Bradshaw was particularly poignant as the RAF looks to build capabilities previously fulfilled by Tornado with the new F-35B fleet with its unique Rolls-Royce LiftSystem. Many of the Service innovations pioneered for the RB199 at Marham will continue to be used to support the RAF’s new Lightning Force capability.

Find out what made the RB199 such a great programme to support and what memories our engineers will have when the aircraft retires from service.