LibertyWorks

Innovating for Freedom. Everyday.

Everything our LibertyWorks division does is about meeting the needs of our customer: the U.S. Department of Defense.

AE 3007
Photo credit ©Boeing

Based in our Indianapolis facility, the cross-disciplinary teams of our LibertyWorks division are developing solutions that cover everything from advanced VTOL technology to Mach 5 flight to thermal and power management systems for directed energy.  We are constantly innovating, solving challenges and creating solutions to meet their diverse needs. 

Our approach is simple; we provide the capabilities that the US warfighter needs to perform any given mission.  To do that, we have developed close working relationships with airframers, the Air Force Research Lab, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NASA, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and numerous advanced technology consortiums – all of which we value highly.

Together, we’re making the next generation of military systems a reality.

40,000

pounds of thrust (lbf) that the combined short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)  LiftSystem® gives to the F-35B, developed by LibertyWorks.

 

 

100kW˳
optical laser power that the LibertyWorks-developed integrated power and thermal management system was tested at and validated. 
10,200

pounds of thrust that the AE 3007N engine – developed by LibertyWorks – provides for the US Navy MQ-25 program, which is 50% greater than original AE 3007 engines.

>300,000
hours that the US Army MH-47 Special Ops Chinooks have flown and been protected by the IES-47 Infrared Suppressor, developed by LibertyWorks in the early 2000s.

An entrepreneurial spirit. Rapid delivery to the warfighter.

Our customers cannot afford to wait years for new capabilities to be developed and deployed.  That’s why they trust LibertyWorks to rapidly solve the hard challenges, getting quality solutions into the hands of the warfighter faster.

LibertyWorks was formed in 1995 as the result of the acquisition of the Allison Engine Company by Rolls-Royce plc.  Originally named Allison Advanced Development Company (AADC), the division was formed to be able to design and develop aerospace systems for the US Department of Defense.  The first major system to be developed and demonstrated by LibertyWorks was the LiftSystem short take-off and vertical landing propulsion system for the US Marine Corp F-35B Lightning ll.  The LibertyWorks division has played a major role in the development of capabilities for next generation combat engines and propulsion solutions for transport and ISR platforms. 

LibertyWorks also plays a significant role in developing adjacent propulsion capabilities such as infrared suppressors.  Our knowledge of turbine engine technologies, thermal management, and power generation has enabled us to be the industry leader in integrated power and thermal management solutions for directed energy applications.  Our agile engineering teams take off-the-shelf propulsion solutions already in either commercial or military applications and rapidly modify them for new platforms.  This was most recently accomplished with the modification of the AE 3007H engine on the RQ-4, which was retrofitted for the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray for the US Navy.  Additionally, Bell has selected Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks to design the propulsion system for the V-280 Valor aircraft to compete in the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program. 

Two business units. One mission.

Our LibertyWorks division is comprised of two business units – LibertyWorks Research & Technology and LibertyWorks Advanced Development – and seamlessly provides innovative technologies from technology readiness levels (TRL) 3 through 6 and beyond.

Our strategy is constantly evolving based on the needs of our customers.  We are currently engaged on several programs across different markets that are important to the warfighter. 

Industry leading power & thermal management

LibertyWorks has been designing, manufacturing and testing power and thermal management system solutions in support of directed energy weapons for nearly two decades. We call it ColdFire.

   

During this time, our focus has been on developing the technologies and capabilities required to provide our warfighters with the best solution that meets their size, weight and performance requirements. To date, we have developed a suite of systems to support mission scenarios ranging from limited to continuous operation for land, sea and air.

LibertyWorks has been competitively selected to provide power and thermal management for several U.S. Army programs over the past 10 years to provide the U.S. with a third offset capability.  These programs have enabled LibertyWorks to become a market leader in the area of power and thermal management for directed energy weapons.

LibertyWorks developed and tested a hybrid power and thermal management system supporting a 100kW optical laser weapon system in collaboration with Lockheed Martin.

Power to Protect

At LibertyWorks, our diverse and highly empowered engineering teams are the driving force behind delivering innovative solutions.  From evolving our rich history of gas turbine product offerings to revolutionizing new frontiers in electrical power, thermal management, advanced survivability, cyber, and digital solutions; our culture is one of relentlessly pursuing the art of the possible to achieve our customer’s needs.  Our passion is to make these needs a reality.

Our teams focus on research and technology roadmaps to ensure rapid maturity and incorporation into current and future products.  Programs are then executed with heavy emphasis on system integration and prototyping to rapidly demonstrate value at the platform level.  We operate on a principle of personal accountability, develop broad technical talent, use a lean set of processes, and utilize state-of-the-art modeling and simulation tools because speed and cost matter to our customers.

 

Digital and Cyber of the Future

LibertyWorks is purposely driving into a new frontier of a Digital Enterprise and enhanced Cybersecurity.  The Digital Enterprise and Cybersecurity are recognized as essential capabilities across the entirety of Rolls-Royce for productivity, security and seamless customer integration.  For both strategic imperatives, we are active across multiple Department of Defense domains to understand and develop the appropriate requirements and interfaces. 

The key objective of the Digital Enterprise is to move from a document-centric to model-centric enterprise. The essential elements of this model-centric enterprise are Digital System Model, Digital Thread, Digital Twin, Model Based Systems Engineering. LibertyWorks will leverage the Digital Enterprise to enable rapid prototyping and fielding. For Cybersecurity, our teams continue to be cyber-resilient and compliant with DoD requirements while focusing on Enterprise IT, Product Cyber, Users/Insiders, and the overall Supply Chain.

LibertyWorks News Releases

Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks completes core test for small engine

Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks has completed rig testing on a new core design for a small engine, successfully executing a rapid prototyping plan from design to test in under a year.

Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks reaches directed energy milestones with integrated power & thermal system

Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks has achieved significant technology milestones by demonstrating an integrated power and thermal management system for high-power defensive directed energy applications.