Farewell to a Legend in Aviation Innovation

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After 20 years of pioneering service in aviation innovation, we’re retiring the iconic Boeing 747-200 Flying Test Bed (FTB) N787RR. Since 2005, this uniquely modified aircraft, capable of operating with five engines, has been central to the development of next-generation engines like the Trent 1000 and Pearl 10X.

It made history in 2021 by flying a Trent 1000 powered entirely by 100% sustainable aviation fuel and played a key role in the subsequent certification of its durability enhancement package, which will more than double time on wing.

Its final mission, completed in July 2025, supported our Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System (ALECSys) engine demonstrator, marking a significant step towards delivering more efficient and sustainable engines.

John Knight, Director Test & Experimental Engineering, ET&S, told us: “With more than 2000 hours of testing under its belt, the Flying Test Bed has been a workhorse for us over the last 20 years, helping us push the boundaries on engine development.

“Whilst we say a fond farewell to our Queen of the Skies, we continue to innovate in testing with a combination of flying test beds, ground testing, and advanced digital modelling.”

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

One FTB test with a difference took place in 2021, when it was used to test a Trent 1000 engine running on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel, while its other three RB211 engines ran on “standard” jet fuel. The three-hour 54-minute flight from Tucson Airport, Arizona over Texas and New Mexico confirmed there were no engineering issues and was part of our wider, and now-completed, programme to confirm our in-production engines are compatible with 100% SAF.

Notably, this test was a key enabler to Virgin Atlantic’s world’s first transatlantic flight in 2023 using 100% SAF with a Trent 1000-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

This made Rolls-Royce the first jet engine manufacturer to publicly confirm all our in-production engines for long-haul aircraft and business jets are compatible with 100% SAF and was an important milestone for both Rolls-Royce and the wider aviation industry. It also provided further evidence of our commitment to becoming a net zero company by 2050 and supporting our customers to do the same.

At the time, Simon Burr, Group Director of Engineering, Technology and Safety, Rolls-Royce plc, said:

This is an important milestone, not just for Rolls-Royce, but also for the wider civil aerospace industry. We hope the success of these tests provides a level of technical validation that supports those who seek to invest in the production of 100% SAF going forward.”

UltraFan

From carbon/titanium fan blades to low-emission combustion systems, the FTB has been instrumental in validating UltraFan technologies under real-world conditions.

In 2014, a set of composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan blades – designed for Advance and UltraFan engine designs – successfully took to the skies for the first time incorporated into the FTB, marking another major milestone for the programme.

More recently, the FTB has enabled Rolls-Royce to complete the latest phase of flight testing for its Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System (ALECSys). The insights gathered directly support UltraFan development by reducing risk and enhancing maturity of future combustion systems.

By testing these critical technologies in flight, the FTB ensures systems are ready for the next-generation of engines.

Pearl 10X

Pearl 10X

The FTB’s most noticeable test configuration came with the testing of the Pearl 10X. This engine is the third and most powerful member of the market-leading Pearl engine family for the business aviation market and has been optimised to exclusively power Dassault’s new flagship aircraft, the Falcon 10X. In order to complete its rigorous flight test programme, our teams had to design a bespoke pylon to enable it to sit on the FTB’s starboard wing, alongside two RB211s. On the port wing was a third RB211 and a Trent 1000, giving the FTB its unique and eye-catching five engine setup. While the cockpit contained engine controls for all five engines, the pilots focused on the RB211s and Trent 1000, while a Pearl 10X engine operator sat on the engineering deck next to the flight test engineer and controlled that engine, all the time maintaining continuous headset communication with the cockpit.

This testing programme showed the incredible flexibility of the aircraft, as well as the ingenuity of our people and partners to make the configuration work.

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