Rolls-Royce achieves milestone in F130 engine development for U.S. Air Force B-52J bomber

By Defence Industry Europe

Rolls-Royce has announced the successful completion of the F130 engine Critical Design Review (CDR), a major milestone in the development of upgraded B-52J aircraft for the United States Air Force. This achievement clears the way for final development, testing, and production of the engine, marking significant progress in the modernisation of the iconic bomber fleet.

 

The milestone is the result of over two years of intensive design collaboration between Rolls-Royce, the U.S. Air Force, and Boeing. The F130 engine testing programme is on schedule, with altitude testing set to commence in February 2025 at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

 

 

Candice Bineyard, Director of Early Life Cycle & Naval Programs – Defence at Rolls-Royce, highlighted the importance of this achievement. She said: “We’re extremely proud to have delivered the F130 CDR milestone on-time for the B-52J, and grateful for our continued partnership with the U.S. Air Force and Boeing. Throughout the detailed design phase, our teams have executed a rigorous process in close collaboration with our partners. We’re excited to start the production work to deliver this incredible and highly reliable engine for the B-52J.”

Rolls-Royce has also completed critical testing phases, including sea-level tests in Indianapolis and Rapid Twin Pod Tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The sea-level tests, conducted at the company’s Indianapolis facility, gathered essential performance data using the initial software release for the engine. These tests were conducted in Test Cell 114, which was recently upgraded as part of a $1 billion investment to modernise Rolls-Royce’s U.S. facilities.

 

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The Rapid Twin Pod Tests at NASA Stennis were a significant step in validating the engine’s performance in the dual-pod configuration used by the B-52 aircraft. These tests confirmed analytical predictions and reduced risks for integrating the F130 engine onto the B-52J platform.

The F130 engines will be manufactured, assembled, and tested at Rolls-Royce’s Indianapolis facility, the company’s largest production site in the United States. This site is central to Rolls-Royce’s commitment to delivering innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities, supported by American labour, for the U.S. Air Force and other customers.

 

 

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