And then there were three. Rolls-Royce is confident it can muscle its way back into the narrowbody engine sector, but the dominant players in this high-volume market are hardly likely to welcome the encroachment.
Having dropped out of the re-engining race for the now-A320neo, and leaving the field when a brief joint venture with GTF-developer Pratt & Whitney fell apart, the UK manufacturer is returning with – somewhat ironically – its own narrowbody geared powerplant, the UltraFan 30.
Rolls-Royce will need to convince investors and prospective partners that it can provide the cutting-edge technology to generate substantial fuel savings while ensuring sufficient maturity to avoid the durability issues which have frustrated this high-cycle segment.
Chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic says the investment in UltraFan technology “positions us really well for narrowbodies”.
He claims Airbus and Boeing are “keen that we participate”. And the unveiling of an UltraFan 30 mock-up is meant to signal its intent to partners.
“We prefer partnership,” Erginbilgic says. “We’re talking to multiple parties. More importantly they want to talk to us.”
He has not, unsurprisingly, named any would-be stablemates. Nor has he indicated how broadly Rolls-Royce is casting its net, particularly given the pressures on the supply chain and the likelihood that industrial participants will be reluctant to take risks that might jeopardise well-protected market positions.
Even if it thinks CFM’s open-rotor engine is a flawed concept, and believes it can beat Pratt & Whitney in the geared-fan game, Rolls-Royce will need to present a robust a case – not only to partners but the airframers – and hopes its demonstrator, due to run in 2028, will help make the technological argument.
Erginbilgic might be reluctant to identify potential collaborators, and whether Rolls-Royce will rekindle previous relationships or forge new ones. But one courtship target appears clear: the company’s home government.
Re-entering the narrowbody industry is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for the UK”, bringing large-scale economic benefits, Erginbilgic says. His message, accompanied by remarks highlighting financial support enjoyed by competitors, seems blunt: Are you with us, or not?