Rolls-Royce is investing in a new testbed to further improve engine throughout. The 7,500 sq. m Testbed 80 in Derby, UK – the largest testbed of its type in the world – will start running its first Trent engines later this year.

By 2021, the testbed will be playing a vital role in the world beyond Trent that Rolls-Royce is already planning for. Its UltraFan engine demonstrator will start ground tests on the bed, as part of a development programme that will result in service availability towards the end of this decade and offer a 25 per cent improvement in fuel consumption compared to the very first Trent engine.

This year the company also is celebrating the achievements of an engine family. Twenty-five years ago – on February 28, 1995 – the very first Trent engine powered the first Airbus A330 as it completed its delivery flight to Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.

Ten years ago, 1,500 Trents were in service. The company states that today it is just over 4,000 and in ten years’ time it will be around 7,500. Trent engines being made today in the UK, Singapore and Germany will be in service for decades to come.

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said, “I want to thank all of our customers and all of our partners who have taken the power of Trent engines and used it to support  a global aviation network. That network has offered passengers the opportunity to have incredible, life-enhancing journeys. We’ve had challenges along the way, and still do, and we are absolutely committed to dealing with any issues to ensure that the Trent family remains an outstanding product.

“The Trent has been built on our relentless desire to be pioneers – to make our engines increasingly efficient, and by doing so find new ways to make flight ever more sustainable. And that spirit continues in our next-generation programmes, such as the UltraFan® engine demonstrator and our electrification projects.”

With thousands more Trent engines already ordered for the coming decade, Rolls-Royce is preparing for what the future will bring.

One element will be an ever-greater demand for engine maintenance services as the fleet grows. Rolls-Royce is responding to this demand by further expanding its global service network.

At the same time, Rolls-Royce has set up a network of Customer Service Centres (CSCs), designed to bring the company closer to its customers, share their working day and better understand their service needs. CSCs have been set up in Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and China, improving customer responsiveness.