Rolls-Royce says it has completed all the “major flight tests” necessary for US certification of a critical performance upgrade for its Trent 1000 engine.
An option on the Boeing 787, the powerplant has for several years struggled to achieve required durability levels of hot-section components, leading to criticism from multiple operators.
To deal with the issue, Rolls-Royce has been developing what it calls the “Durability Enhancement Package” for the Trent 1000, with the first phase to introduce new high-pressure turbine blades from next year.
Although European certification for the enhancement was obtained earlier this year, flight testing has been ongoing in the USA in support of the necessary Federal Aviation Administration approval.
“We have now successfully completed the major flight tests and we’re confident that Phase 1 of our Trent 1000 Durability Enhancement Package, that will more than double time-on-wing, will be certified in the coming months,” the UK engine maker says.
“It’s a priority for us, and we’re currently working closely with Boeing to confirm when certification can be completed.”
Rolls-Royce estimates that it will take two to three years post-certification to roll out the upgrade across the in-service Trent 1000 fleet.
A largely identical durability enhancement package was successfully introduced on the related Trent 7000 engine for the Airbus A330neo in 2022.
But a second phase of durability improvements is planned for both the Trent 1000 and Trent 7000, to arrive in 2026.
This will “deliver a further 30% time-on-wing improvement over and above the doubling of time-on-wing delivered by Phase 1”, Rolls-Royce says.
Preparation of the test engines with the phase-two modifications is under way, it adds.
