Rolls-Royce Turbomeca

Last updated
An Adour on display at the Brooklands Museum Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Brooklands.jpg
An Adour on display at the Brooklands Museum
An RTM322 on display Rolls-Royce RTM322 2.jpg
An RTM322 on display

Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited (RRTM) is a joint venture between British aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce plc (UK) and French helicopter engine specialist Safran Helicopter Engines (formerly known as Turbomeca). [1] It manufactured aero-engines and provided associated support services to end users. [2]

Contents

The joint venture has been responsible for the development and production of two aero-engines, the Adour turbofan, and the RTM322 turboshaft powerplant. During 2013, Turbomeca bought out Rolls-Royce's involvement in the RTM322 programme; accordingly, all manufacturing-related responsibility activities with this engine were transferred to Turbomeca solely during the mid-2010s.

History

During the definition phase of what became the SEPECAT Jaguar ground attack aircraft, a separate partnership was formed between British aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and French helicopter engine specialist Turbomeca to develop the Adour, an afterburning turbofan engine, to power the aircraft. [3] This engine would not only be adopted for the Jaguar, but also for aircraft such as the BAE Systems Hawk, the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk, and Mitsubishi T-2 trainer aircraft, as well as the Mitsubishi F-1 ground attack fighter. [4] In excess of 2,800 Adour engines would eventually be produced, reportedly amassing a cumulative total of 7,000,000 flying hours. [5]

During 1995, it was announced that the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft engine had been selected to power the British Army's fleet of AgustaWestland Apache attack helicopters; accordingly, the RTM322 took the place of the standard General Electric T700 engine that powered all previous versions of the Apache. [6] At the time, there were hopes that other Apache operators could opt to procure the engine over the T700 as well. [7] The initial version of the RM322 was qualified for use by the British Ministry of Defence during 2003. [8]

Over the following decades, the RTM322 engine was adopted by various operators to power a number of rotorcraft, including the NHIndustries NH90 and AgustaWestland AW101 medium-sized transport helicopters, as well as being used on the UK's Apache helicopter fleet, and the Eurocopter X³, a high speed technology demonstrator. [9] [10] During 2003, it was announced that the joint venture was undertaking the development of an enhanced version of the RTM322, taking the powerplant from the current 2,400shp (1,800 kW) power range to beyond 2,500shp in the near term and potentially 3,300shp in the longer term after further improvements are finalised. Keith Reid, Rolls-Royce Turbomeca international marketing manager, noted that the RM322 had been originally designed with future growth in mind, and that operators had been placing an increasing emphasis upon hot and high flight capabilities, which necessitated more engine power is being available. [11] [12]

During 2013, responsibility for undertaking all activities related to the RTM322 engine, including manufacturing and maintenance/services, began to be transferred to Turbomeca following an agreement between Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca to buy out the former in exchange for around €293 million ($381 million). [13] [14] Over the following three years, Turbomeca progressively took on this work, the first 12 months were generally dedicated to taking on RM322 maintenance and repair activities, the following 12 months were spent on building up its testing capabilities, while the remainder were involved the realign of the engine's supply chain with the French firm and internalise any manufacturing activities previously performed by Rolls-Royce. [15]

Products

Related Research Articles

Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Turbofan jet engine developed in the 1960s

The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour is a two-shaft low bypass turbofan aircraft engine developed by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce (UK) and Turbomeca (France). The engine is named after the Adour, a river in south western France.

Safran Helicopter Engines

Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbines for land, industrial and marine applications.

Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 1980s British/French turboshaft engine

The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 is a turboshaft engine produced by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce plc and Turbomeca. The engine was designed to suit a wide range of military and commercial helicopter designs. The RTM322 can also be employed in maritime and industrial applications.

MTU Aero Engines German aircraft engine manufacturer

MTU Aero Engines AG is a German aircraft engine manufacturer. MTU develops, manufactures and provides service support for military and civil aircraft engines. MTU Aero Engines was formerly known as MTU München.

LHTEC T800

The LHTEC T800 is a turboshaft engine for rotary wing applications. It is produced by the LHTEC, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Honeywell. The commercial and export version is the CTS800. The engine was primarily developed for the United States Army's cancelled RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter, but has found use in other applications.

MTR MTR390

The MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390 is a turboshaft developed for light helicopter applications by MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce (MTR). The engine is designed to power helicopters in the weight range of 5-7 tonnes in both single and twin engine configurations. So far the only application is the Eurocopter Tiger. Test runs of the MTR390 began in 1989 and the first test flight was performed in 1991. The MTR390 received military certification in May 1996 and civil approval in June 1997.

MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce GmbH (MTR) is a multinational engine manufacturer established to develop, manufacture, and service the MTR390 turboshaft engine. It is a joint venture between three European aero-engine manufacturers, Germany's MTU Aero Engines, France's Turbomeca and Britain's Rolls-Royce.

Safran Aircraft Engines Aircraft and rocket engine manufacturer based in France

Safran Aircraft Engines is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It designs, makes and maintains engines for commercial and military aircraft as well as rocket engines for launch vehicles and satellites.

Napier Gazelle 1950s British aircraft turboshaft engine

The Napier Gazelle is a turboshaft helicopter engine that was manufactured by D. Napier & Son in the mid-1950s. In 1961 production was nominally transferred to a joint venture with Rolls-Royce called Napier Aero Engines Limited. But the venture closed two years later.

Rolls-Royce Gnome 1950s British turboshaft aircraft engine

The Rolls-Royce Gnome is a British turboshaft engine originally developed by the de Havilland Engine Company as a licence-built General Electric T58, an American mid-1950s design. The Gnome came to Rolls-Royce after their takeover of Bristol Siddeley in 1968, Bristol having absorbed de Havilland Engines Limited in 1961.

Bristol Siddeley Nimbus 1950s British turboshaft aircraft engine

The Bristol Siddeley Nimbus, later known as the Rolls-Royce Nimbus, was a British turboshaft engine developed under license by Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. from the Turbomeca Turmo in the late 1950s. It was used on the Westland Scout and Westland Wasp helicopters.

Rolls-Royce Gem 1970s British turboshaft aircraft engine

The Rolls-Royce Gem is a turboshaft engine developed specifically for the Westland Lynx helicopter in the 1970s. The design started off at de Havilland and was passed to Bristol Siddeley as the BS.360. When Rolls-Royce bought out the latter in 1966, it became the RS.360.

Turbomeca Astazou

The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful series of turboprop and turboshaft engines, first run in 1957. The original version weighed 110 kg (243 lb) and developed 240 kW (320 shp) at 40,000 rpm. It was admitted for aviation service on May 29, 1961, after a 150-hour test run. The main developing engineer was G. Sporer. It was named after two summits of the Pyrenees.

Turbomeca Arriel

The Turbomeca Arriel is a series of French turboshaft engines that first ran in 1974. Delivering 650 to 1,000 hp, over 12,000 Arriel engines have been produced from 1978 to 2018, logging more than 50 million flight hours for 40 helicopter applications. In June 2018, 1,000 Arriel 2D were in service, powering H125 and H130 single-engine helicopters, having logged one million flight hours since 2011. After endurance tests and fleet data analysis, their TBO increased by 25% to 5,000 hours and mandatory inspection rose to 15 years with no hourly limit, lowering maintenance costs.

Turbomeca Arrius

The Turbomeca Arrius is one of a family of turboshaft engines for helicopter use, first produced in 1981. As of 2012, some 2,700 units had been sold. Power ranges between 357 kW and 530 kW for different versions. Following Turbomeca tradition, the Arrius was named after a Pyrenean peak, located in the Ossau Valley near Pau.

Turbomeca Turmo

The Turbomeca Turmo is a family of French turboshaft engines developed for helicopter use. A descendant of the Turbomeca Artouste, later versions delivered up to 1,300 kW (1,700 shp). A turboprop version was developed for use with the Bréguet 941 transport aircraft.

Turbomeca Makila

The Turbomeca Makila is a family of French turboshaft engines for helicopter use, first run in 1976 and flown in 1977.

Westland 30

The Westland 30 is a British medium helicopter based on the Westland Lynx military helicopter. Although Westland Helicopters foresaw a market for the type in VIP, passenger and cargo transport, and off-shore support operations, production remained limited, ending in 1987 after 41 aircraft had been built.

Safran Ardiden Turboshaft engine

The Safran Ardiden is a 1,400–2,000 hp (1,000–1,500 kW) turboshaft designed and produced by Safran Helicopter Engines for 5–8 t (11,000–18,000 lb) single and twin-engine helicopters. Launched in 2003 as a more powerful TM 333, it first ran in 2005 and was introduced in 2007. The Ardiden 1 Shakti powers the Indian HAL Dhruv, Light Combat Helicopter and Light Utility Helicopter while the more powerful Ardiden 3 powers the Avicopter AC352 and Kamov Ka-62.

Turbo-Union Limited is a joint venture between three European aero-engine manufacturers, FiatAvio, MTU Aero Engines and Rolls-Royce.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Gunston 1989, p. 155.
  2. ↑ "Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Taylor 1980, pp. 105, 708.
  4. ↑ "Engine - Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca R.T.172 Adour 102". Royal Air Force Museum . Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour". Brooklands Museum . Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Rolls-Royce Turbomeca". Flight International. 9 October 1996.
  7. ↑ "Rolls-Royce Turbomeca". Flight International. 2 August 1995.
  8. ↑ "RTM322". Safran . Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "Rolls-Royce engine approved". Flight International. 3 August 2004.
  10. ↑ Croft, John (23 February 2009). "HELI-EXPO 2009: Rolls-Royce confirms role in Eurocopter X3 programme". Flight International.
  11. ↑ "R-R Turbomeca firms up growth version of RTM322". Flight International. 8 December 2003.
  12. ↑ "Rolls-Royce plans growth for RTM322". Flight International. 28 May 2002.
  13. ↑ "Rolls-Royce and Safran agree transfer of RTM322 helicopter engine programme to Turbomeca". rolls-royce.com. 2003.
  14. ↑ Perry, Dominic (23 April 2013). "R-R sells interest in RTM322 helicopter engine programme". Flight International.
  15. ↑ Perry, Dominic (15 February 2016). "ANALYSIS: Turbomeca spins up plans for high-powered future". Flight International.

Bibliography

  • Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN   1-85260-163-9.
  • Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1980–81. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980. ISBN   0-7106-0705-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.