Rolls-Royce has announced significant progress in the development of its F130 engine for the upgraded B-52J bombers of the U.S. Air Force, having successfully completed a critical design review (CDR). This milestone allows the project to transition into the final stages of pre-testing and preparation for integration into the aircraft. Recent testing, along with earlier evaluations, took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, which has been instrumental in supporting the project.
According to Rolls-Royce’s official communication, the successful CDR clears the way for altitude testing, anticipated to begin in February next year at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The project, a collaboration between Rolls-Royce, Boeing, and the U.S. Air Force, has been under development for approximately two years.
Candice Bineyard, Director of Defense Naval & Initial Lifecycle Programs at Rolls-Royce, stated: “We are very proud to have delivered the F130 CDR on time for the B-52J and are grateful for our continued collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and Boeing. During the detailed design phase, our teams have executed a rigorous process in close partnership with our stakeholders. We are excited to begin production work to deliver this incredible and highly reliable engine for the B-52J.”
Additionally, Rolls-Royce completed successful sea-level tests of the F130 engine in August this year at its Indianapolis facilities. These evaluations provided critical performance data by running the engine’s initial software version in a modernized test cell. Rolls-Royce invested over $1 billion to upgrade the facility, which is also where the manufacturing and assembly of the F130 engines will occur. This Indianapolis site is the company’s largest U.S. facility.
Upon completion of all testing phases, the U.S. Air Force plans to replace its aging Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines with the new F130 models. This initiative is part of the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), announced in 2021, aimed at addressing the challenges posed by maintaining outdated engines and the increasing difficulty of sourcing spare parts. The Air Force has emphasized that sustaining the TF33 engines beyond the next decade would be impractical, making the F130 a crucial component of the B-52 modernization effort.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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