Rolls-Royce has completed early engine tests with the F130, the proven and efficient engine which will be offered for the US Air Force B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program.
Full-engine tests were completed recently at Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis, US, confirming the engine design and performance are a perfect fit for the B-52 aircraft. In addition to full-engine tests, Rolls-Royce has already compiled more than 50,000 hours of digital engineering time to further develop and refine the F130 for the B-52.
Adam Riddle, Rolls-Royce, Executive Vice President, Business Development and Future Programs, said, “The Rolls-Royce F130 engine for the B-52 is part of a proven and efficient family of engines with millions of operational hours. We are excited about our test results in Indianapolis as we continue to demonstrate that the F130 engine is the perfect fit for the B-52. The F130 is the affordable, modern option for this iconic US Air Force aircraft.”
The F130 engine for the B-52 produces 17,000 pounds of thrust and is a variant of the proven and reliable Rolls-Royce BR725 commercial engine. The F130 series of engines already power aircraft in the US Air Force fleet, including the E-11A and C-37 aircraft, with more than 200,000 hours of combat flight operations.
If the F130 engine is selected for the B-52 engine replacement program, Rolls-Royce will establish an assembly line in Indianapolis at its advanced manufacturing facility and add more than 150 new jobs in manufacturing, engineering, program management and other positions.
Rolls-Royce maintains complete design, engineering, manufacturing and test operations, and conducts advanced technology research for the US Department of Defense, NASA and other customers. Rolls-Royce Indianapolis also encompasses skills and experience in rapid prototyping, directed energy, infrared suppression, hypersonics, controls, cyber security, digital engineering, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, in co-located facilities.
The F130 program would provide a boost to an existing, widespread US supply chain, and the majority of the F130 parts would be produced in the United States.
A $600 million Rolls-Royce investment in modernization and technology programs is nearing completion in Indiana, including state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing at its Indianapolis facilities – paving the way for optimized production of an engine in the F130 size class.
Rolls-Royce employs 6,000 people in 27 states across the US, literally coast-to-coast, from southern California to Walpole, Massachusetts. In addition, Rolls-Royce business supports more than 52,000 jobs across the US, adding nearly $9 billion to the nation’s economy each year.
Rolls-Royce has invested nearly $1 billion in Research and Development in the US since 2013.
Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks is the company’s advanced technology development unit in the US, focused on the Department of Defense. Founded in 1995, LibertyWorks serves as a rapid design, development, and prototyping capability for US military customers, as well as NASA, DARPA and major airframe companies.