The AE engine – the story behind the military aircraft engine

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The AE engine – the story behind the military aircraft engine

The versatile, high-performance engine core enabling countless missions and delivering robust reliability.

Over a century of defence expertise

Rolls-Royce has been powering the defence industry for over a century through our transformative aerospace engine technologies. Our long history of engine knowledge and expertise means that today, every branch of the United States armed forces operates aircraft or ships powered by Rolls-Royce.

This legacy is thanks in part to the revolutionary development of the AE engine family – a versatile, high-performance and proven engine core that has enabled countless missions globally and continues to deliver robust reliability. Today, the AE engine powers a multitude of applications including new and cutting-edge platforms.

The AE family story

Since Rolls-Royce’s acquisition of Allison Engine in 1995, the AE engine family has seen over 7,500 engine deliveries, accrued over 85 million flying hours and delivered $30bn in revenue.

Some of the key enablers of the AE engine family’s success were the decision to self-fund the AE engine core in 1983 and the certification of a minor yet critical commercial application for a regional airliner in 1994. These milestones opened the door to new and substantial opportunities to sell AE products to the United States Department of Defense.

Since then, the innovation of AE products has continued to evolve. Most recently, it was announced that the AE engine-powered Bell V-280 Valor had won the United States Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme – one of the most important military helicopter campaigns in several decades.

AE family timeline

military aircraft, military aviation, Allison Engine

The early 80s

Building on the success of the T56 – one of the longest-running engine lines in aviation history – development starts on a revolutionary tiltrotor engine that would provide new levels of power for the United States military.

1985

The AE 1107C engine, also known by the military designation T406, is selected for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey for the Marine Corps. The V-22 is now operated by the U.S. Air Force and Navy as well.

1990

The AE engine family breaks into the Civil and Business Aviation markets with the AE 3007 turbofan engine for Embraer and Cessna, making Cessna’s corporate jet the fastest-flying business aviation jet in history.

1994

Lockheed Martin selects the AE 2100D3 turboprop for its C-130J military transport aircraft, now in service around the world in multiple allied air forces.

1995

The AE 3007H is selected to power the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, the world’s highest-flying and longest-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for the United States Air Force.

2003

ShinMaywa in Japan begins flight testing of the US-2, an amphibious aircraft powered by four AE 2100J engines. The aircraft also features a Rolls-Royce T800 turboshaft engine for boundary layer control and is the only aircraft powered by five Rolls-Royce engines.

2012

Textron selects the MT7 marine gas turbine for the United States Navy’s Ship-to-Shore Connector.

COPYRIGHT ©2023 THE BOEING COMPANY, military aircraft, military aviation, Allison Engine

2019

The AE 3007 powers Boeing’s MQ-25 unmanned tanker aircraft in its first flight.

2022

The AE 1107F-powered Bell V-280 Valor wins the United States Army’s FLRAA programme.

The platforms we power

The AE engine family’s renowned ‘common core’ serves a multitude of platforms from combat, intelligence, commercial and business aviation to naval marine vessels. Every engine is borne from one optimised assembly line at our facility in Indianapolis, United States, enabling remarkable efficiencies in manufacturing processes.

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

The AE 1107C – a defining member of the AE engine family – powers the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Its revolutionary tiltrotor technology is designed to operate vertically, horizontally and at any point in between, allowing the aircraft to hover, land and take off like a helicopter while flying forward like an airplane.

An ongoing legacy

In the future, the AE engine family will continue to evolve its capabilities based on the foundation of proven robustness and versatility.

Already, the AE 2100 engine has been selected to take part in a leading-edge hydrogen programme that aims to lay the groundwork for more sustainable aviation. AE engines have been tested and operated using Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), including by the Royal Air Force.