Rolls-Royce has successfully completed the first flight of its new Trent 1000 TEN (thrust, efficiency and new technology) engine which will power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft.
Capable of up to 78,000lbs thrust it will be available to power all three variants of the Boeing 787: the -8, -9 and future -10.
The engine’s first flight was on a Boeing 747 flying test bed which took off from an airfield in Tucson, Arizona, US. A distinctive paint scheme on the engine nacelle – depicting a ‘perfect ten pin’ bowling image – easily identified the Trent 1000 TEN engine on the aircraft.
Iain Dudley, Head of Marketing, Trent 1000 said:” We are delighted that the first flight went so smoothly and we look forward to a successful programme on the 747 test bed before flight testing begins on a Boeing 787 later this year. We know that this engine will deliver a step-change in efficiency and performance for the 787 when it enters service. In fact it’s perfect for it.”
The Trent 1000 is already the most reliable engine on the Boeing 787 and was the first to power both the -8 and -9 versions into service. Over one and a half million flying hours have been successfully achieved and now the TEN version is set to deliver new levels of fuel efficiency and thrust for customers.
The TEN offers proven new technology; its features include a new compressor system scaled from the Trent XWB engine programme and a new turbine design to allow extra thrust. Unique to the TEN is a modulated air system which optimises the secondary air flow within the engine using a valve system with no moving parts, a robust system that delivers performance benefits. External systems have also been improved and re-designed.
Rolls-Royce
