INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Rolls-Royce and the Delft University Aerospace faculty signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will give students greater involvement in one of the world's biggest military engine programmes, the F136, which will power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The F136 engine is being developed by the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, which comprises: GE - Aviation in Evendale, Ohio, USA; Rolls-Royce plc in Bristol, England, and Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Under the terms of the MoU, Delft students will take part in the F136 Knowledge Programme that was created by the Fighter Engine Team to actively involve universities in the development of the engine. A minimum of two students rotating every 6 to 12 months will be located within the Rolls-Royce F136 project facility in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, working within Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) who are designing and manufacturing the F136 engine. Students from Delft have supported the IPTs in various activities, and with the signing of this MoU, this is likely to expand into other fields such as JSF engine maintenance, a key interest for the Netherlands when the JSF F-35 enters service.
Martin Farmer, sales executive for the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team for the Netherlands, said, "The Knowledge Programme scheme is designed to complement our industrial participation activities. The involvement of Delft University, together with the design and manufacturing work by DutchAero and Nedtech Engineering, means that the Netherlands is making a major contribution to the F136 programme."
Professor Ben Droste from Delft University added, "This is exciting for our students as it provides them with a vehicle to contribute and gain knowledge directly from a US/ European engine collaboration for the world's latest military aircraft programme. The Netherlands is playing a significant part in all phases of the F136 programme, and the knowledge gained by our students over the next few years will benefit the Dutch aerospace industry well into the future."
Stephan Peters, a student from the Aerospace facility, commented, "I have just spent an exciting six months with the F136 team in Indianapolis and have learned how Rolls-Royce and GE, two of the world's leading engine companies, manage a major collaborative engine project, on time and on budget. It's a real eye opener, and I will be recommending spending time with the F136 team to my Delft colleagues."
Editor's notes
GE - Aviation, with responsibility for 60 percent of the F136 program, is developing the core compressor and coupled high-pressure/low-pressure turbine system components, controls and accessories, and the augmentor. Rolls-Royce, with 40 percent of the F136 program, is responsible for the front fan, combustor, stages 2 and 3 of the low-pressure turbine, and gearboxes. International participant countries are also contributing to the F136 through involvement in engine development and component manufacturing.
The F136 engine is expected to flight-test on the F-35 in 2010, with production engines available in 2012. This occurs during the fourth lot of F-35 aircraft production, which is very early in the overall F-35 production program.
The F136 will be fully interchangeable and affordable to meet the requirements of all the aircraft variants. The F136 offers a single engine configuration for all three versions of the aircraft: STOVL for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.K. Royal Navy, CTOL for the U.S. Air Force, and the CV for the U.S. Navy.
The F-35 is a next-generation, multi-role stealth aircraft designed to replace the AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16, F/A-18 Hornet and the United Kingdom's Harrier GR.7 and Sea Harrier, all of which are currently powered by GE or Rolls-Royce, making them the engine powers of choice for the U.S. and U.K. militaries. Potential F-35 production for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marines and international customers, including the UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, may reach as many as 5,000 to 6,000 aircraft over the next 30 years.