Rolls Royce Receives Type Certification
Global power systems company Rolls-Royce has won type certification for its new BR725 engine which will power the first flight of Gulfstream’s G650 business jet later this year.
Type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is for thrust ratings of 16,100lbf (71.6 kN).
Since first engine run in April 2008, the BR725 has completed all major development testing as well as accumulating almost 1,100 running hours and 3,500 engine cycles
Rolls-Royce says the engine demonstrated exceptional performance during development testing, operating at sea level and altitude conditions. It also proved its ability to cope with bird-strike, ice, hail and water ingestion as well as passing the critical fan blade containment test, during which a fan blade is deliberately released at maximum speed. The fan blade containment test was performed in a new indoor test bed at the company’s Derby facilities.
Testing was undertaken at various Rolls-Royce locations including the US, Germany and the UK.
The G650 programme was launched in 2005 and Rolls-Royce was selected to power this new business jet. Testing of first development engines began in spring 2008. First flight test engines were dispatched to Gulfstream from the Rolls-Royce Dahlewitz facility earlier this year. The G650’s first flight is planned for later this year, with BR725 serial production scheduled for 2010, and the G650 due to enter service in 2012.
The BR725 fan has a diameter of 50 inches and is made up of 24 titanium fan blades. It is based on the proven “swept” Rolls-Royce Trent engine fan design, its scimitar-shaped blades leading to improved aerodynamic efficiency and lower noise.
Developed to rigorous standards, the BR725 has completed a demanding development schedule hitting all milestones and development gates as planned at the programme outset. The BR725 is the sixth new civil engine development programme to come out of Rolls-Royce on time and on budget in as many years.
The Gulfstream G650 ultra-large-cabin, ultra-high speed business jet will fly faster and further than any traditional business aircraft, carrying up to 18 people. It will be capable of non-stop legs of 7,000 nautical miles – equivalent to Dubai-New York, London-Buenos Aires or Sydney-Karachi. Its Rolls-Royce BR725 engines will also G650 deliver capability to cover shorter distances at a speed of Mach 0.925, marginally higher than the incumbent high-speed Champion, Cessna’s Citation X at Mach .92.
The new powerplant‘s high power/weight ratio, economy and environmental credentials can be expected to be of interest to aircraft manufacturers in the corporate and regional airliner sectors, where Rolls-Royce already has a notable presence.
