The AE engine – the story behind the military’s most versatile engine family | Rolls-Royce

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The AE engine – the story behind the military’s most versatile engine family

Over a century of defense expertise

Rolls-Royce has enabled U.S. military operations for more than 80 years through our transformative aerospace engine technologies. 

Today, our modern AE engines power the aircraft that U.S. warfighters and global allies depend on for the most demanding missions. From powering vertical lift, high altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft, to long-range, heavy-duty cycle civilian and military transport aircraft, we provide power wherever the mission demands. 

The AE engine family is the only modern propulsion line in the world with a turboshaft, turbofan, and turboprop from a single common core, which benefits the warfighter by reducing the logistics burden, sustainment costs, and supply chain complexity across every program it touches. 

This, combined with our safety and reliability record covering more than 92 million flight hours and 7,800 AE engines delivered worldwide, means the U.S. military can confidently choose Rolls-Royce for its newest, most dynamic, and most critical missions. 

The AE Family and U.S. Investment Story

For generations, Rolls-Royce has been part of America’s industrial story. Built on more than a century of innovation that began with the Allison Engine Company, Indianapolis is the center of our U.S. defense manufacturing and advanced propulsion work.

We continue to make significant investments to keep the AE engine family best-in-class.

Home to more than 80% of our U.S. defense workforce, as well as our LibertyWorks research and development facility, Rolls-Royce operations contribute more than $6.2 billion to the U.S. economy and support more than 30,000 jobs.

We have invested $1.5 billion in U.S. facilities and $2.4 billion in research and development over the past decade alone. That investment gives the American warfighter a modern, proven, in-production engine today. 

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 U.S. 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.

1990

The AE engine family breaks into the Civil and Business Aviation markets with the selection of the AE 3007 turbofan engine for the 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

AE 3007H is selected to power the Northrup Grumman Global Hawk, the world’s highest flying and longest-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle for the U.S. Air Force. Initially developed to create a turbofan member of the AE common core family for the growing regional jet and medium/large business jet markets, further development created a version for military applications.

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 CTS800 turboshaft engine for boundary layer control and is the only aircraft powered by five Rolls-Royce engines.

2008

Rolls-Royce signs a nine-year, $900 million agreement with Alenia Aeronautica to be the exclusive propulsion system provider for the C-27J Spartan medium-lift transport aircraft. The twin-engine C-27J is powered by AE 2100D2 turboprop engines.

2008

The U.S. Navy selects Rolls-Royce to provide AE 3007H turbofan engines for the MQ-4C Triton unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft.

2012

Textron selects the Rolls-Royce MT7 marine gas turbine for the U.S. Navy’s Ship to Shore Connector (SSC). Each SSC is equipped with four cutting-edge MT7 gas turbines derived from the highly successful AE 1107C engine, which powers the U.S. Marine Corps’ V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Paden Henry

2018

Rolls-Royce announces the 2,000th Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 engine has rolled off the assembly line, intended to power a new Lockheed Martin C-130J aircraft bound for Little Rock Air Force base in Arkansas.

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

2019

The AE 3007 powers Boeing’s T1 demonstrator aircraft for first test flight of the MQ-25 unmanned tanker program.

Photo courtesy of Bell

2020-2026

In 2020, Rolls-Royce announced an agreement with Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, to provide the propulsion system for the V-280 Valor aircraft as it moved forward in the competition for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) Program. The AE 1107-powered Bell V-280 Valor won the U.S. Army’s FLRAA program in December 2022, and was later designated the MV-75. In 2026, the U.S. Army officially named the aircraft the MV-75 Cheyenne, a tribute to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes known for adaptability, endurance and a fierce warrior ethos.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt

2024

Rolls-Royce announces historic milestones for the powerplants of the iconic C-130 aircraft, T56 and AE 2100 engines. On the 70th anniversary of its first flight, the T56 engine amasses more than 220 million service hours, a rare occurrence in aviation history. Additionally, the AE 2100 engine reaches 10 million hours since entering service in 1994.

Making its first flight in 1954 and still in production today, the T56 engine powers the C130H Hercules, which is still flying as part of the longest continuous military aircraft production run in history.

Photo courtesy of Boeing

2026

The Rolls-Royce AE 3007N powers the first flight of the U.S. Navy MQ-25A Stingray™, marking a pivotal program milestone that moves the unmanned platform closer to a Milestone C decision and aircraft carrier integration testing.

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 optimized assembly line at our facilities in Indianapolis, 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. The V-22’s operational reach allows U.S. forces to operate from austere or damaged infrastructure, which enhances resilience and readiness during emergencies or contingencies.

Long-Term Partnership and Future Focus

American warfighters have depended on Rolls-Royce engines for more than 80 years, and we are investing to ensure they depend on us for the next 80 years.

For the pilots, crew, and service members who rely on military transport, every mission is critical- from humanitarian to firefighting missions and beyond, from the time they take off until they return home safely. For decades, the AE engine family has provided safe, reliable power to help ensure mission success. 

We are also investing in the people, programs, and infrastructure that will underpin U.S. defense readiness for decades to come. We understand American military power relies on safe, reliable, cost-effective solutions which are delivered on-time, every time. 

Through LibertyWorks, we are tackling the U.S. military’s next-generation challenges, including hypersonic flight and specialized autonomous aircraft. Whether for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray^TM or the Air Force’s next-generation Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), we are prepared with a variety of ready-now and developmental solutions for the future.

For programs like the MV-75 Cheyenne, MQ-25A Stingray, C-130J Super Hercules, and V-22 Osprey, there is no credible substitute offering the same combination of proven performance, parts commonality, and production readiness.

The engines and systems built in our Indiana facilities power U.S. service members on missions every day, and with recent program wins, we are positioned to grow for decades to come.