Rolls-Royce expects it will shortly receive US regulatory approval for a new high-pressure turbine (HPT) blade that will significantly improve the time-on-wing for the Trent 1000 engine.
An option on the Boeing 787, the Trent 1000 has for several years struggled to achieve required durability levels of hot-section components leading to aircraft availability challenges for operators.
Although it received European certification for the new HPT blade in 2024, Rolls-Royce is still waiting on Federal Aviation Administration clearance for the update; Boeing flight tests in support of the enhancement wrapped up late last year.
Detailing the progress of the new HPT blade in a first-quarter trading update on 1 May, the engine maker says certification is anticipated “in the coming weeks”.
Rolls-Royce says the upgrade “will double the time on wing of this engine”.
Additionally, it “remains on track” to incorporate further enhancements later this year – also to be applied to the Trent 7000 for the Airbus A330neo – which will “deliver a further 30% time-on-wing improvement”.
For the first three months of the year, Rolls-Royce saw large engine flying hours increase to 110% of 2019 levels.
In the defence business, “demand remains robust across our portfolio of products with strong order intake”, it says. In April, the firm delivered its first AE 3007N engine to Boeing for the US Navy’s MQ-25 unmanned tanker programme.
Despite the uncertainty caused by the potential imposition of import tariffs by the USA, Rolls-Royce is maintaining its full-year guidance of underlying operating profit in the range of £2.7-£2.9 billion ($3.6-$3.8 billion).
“We expect to offset the impact of announced tariffs on our business through the mitigating actions we are taking,” says chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic.
“We are closely monitoring the potential indirect impact on economic growth and inflation and will continue to take the necessary actions.”
