Wednesday
December 4, 2002
Rolls-Royce Ships 100th Engine for V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor
INDIANAPOLIS, USA ( PRNewswire ) -
Rolls-Royce today announced it has shipped its 100th AE 1107C
turboshaft engine for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, a major milestone in its support of the program.
Steven F. Dwyer, President, Defense North America, Rolls-Royce,
said: "This milestone is indicative of the success we continue to
experience in developing engines with the highest levels of
performance and efficiency. We are proud to be involved in a program that
continues to redefine not only the future of military aerospace,
but also how we will respond to future conflicts."
AE 1107C engines are provided to the U.S. Military under a
commercial procurement agreement and are supported under a commercial Power by
the Hour(TM) agreement. Such agreements have resulted in a Defense
Acquisition Executive Certificate of Achievement Award for the V-22
team members. Rolls- Royce is scheduled to deliver 22 AE 1107C engines
during 2003 in support of the aircraft's low rate initial production.
Development of the 6,000 shaft horsepower AE 1107C was begun in the
mid- 1980s. It was flight-rated by the U.S. Navy in 1988 and was
certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1998. The AE 1107C is the
cornerstone of the Rolls-Royce Common Core family of engines, which
includes the AE 2100 turboprop and AE 3007 turbofan. Rolls-Royce
was the first turbine engine manufacturer to develop three separate and
distinct engine lines based around a common power core. More than
3,200 of these engines have been delivered to both military and
civil operators and have accumulated nearly six million flight hours.
The twin-engine V-22, built by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing,
takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter, but then rotate its
nacelles to fly like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. The Osprey is being
developed to perform United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Navy
(USN),
and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) combat
missions. A tiltrotor combines the speed, range and fuel efficiency
normally associated with turboprop aircraft with the vertical
take-off/landing and hover capabilities of helicopters.
Rolls-Royce Defense has the largest customer base in the world and
over a quarter of the world's installed military engines. It
supplies engines to more customers in more countries (103) than any
other manufacturer. In 2001, Rolls-Royce Defense sales were
in excess of $2 billion, comprising approximately 22 percent of
Rolls-Royce plc sales and 42 percent of profit before interest.
In the United States Rolls-Royce is a significant force with 6,800
installed engines on currently operational aircraft. The Rolls-Royce
facility in Indianapolis, Indiana is responsible for meeting the
requirements of defense customers in the Americas and managing their
military engine programs. The AE 2100D3 (C-130J), AE 2100D2
(C-27J), AE 1107C (V-22), AE 3007H (Global Hawk), and T56
(C-130A-H, P-3, E-2C, C-2A), are all manufactured at the
Indianapolis site. Rolls-Royce is working in close partnership with
Lockheed Martin, Pratt and Whitney and General Electric to deliver
high-technology solutions for vertical lift and propulsion for the
F-35 JSF aircraft program.
Rolls-Royce plc operates in four growth markets -- civil aerospace,
defense aerospace, marine and energy. It is a global company
investing in technology and capability that can be exploited in
each of these sectors to create a competitive range of products.
The success of these products is demonstrated by the company's
rapid and substantial gains in market share over recent years. As
a result, engine deliveries have grown to a total of 54,000 gas
turbines in service worldwide. The investments in product, capability
and infrastructure to gain this market position create high
barriers to entry.
Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base consisting of more than 500
airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter
operators, and 160 armed forces and more than 2,000 marine
customers, including 50 navies. The company has energy customers
in nearly 120 countries. Rolls-Royce employs around 39,000 people
worldwide, including 23,500 in the UK, 5,000 in the rest of
Europe and 8,000 in North America.
Most of the engines in service will have operational lives of 25
years or more, generating an assured aftermarket demand for the
provision of spare parts and services. The company's strategy is to
maximize aftermarket revenues through the development of a
comprehensive service capability.
Annual sales total around 6 billion pounds Sterling of which over
40 percent currently comes from aftermarket services. The order
book stands at more than 19 billion pounds Sterling, which,
together with aftermarket demand, provides visibility as to future
activity
levels.
News: MV-22 resumes flying, all ok ( May 29, 2002 )
V-22 Osprey
Bell timeline
Boeing timeline