Orders, follow-on business and service entry with two more operators have provided the “best start” in 2015 for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 (T1000) engine, according to project director Gary Moore. The powerplant has been chosen to power more than 470 Boeing 787 twin-aisle twinjets–covered by orders and options from 20 operators, 11 lessors and two private or government owners. Moore said that when customers have a choice, there is “no greater testament” than that they buy engines, live with them in service and then come back for more.

He hopes the powerplant’s latest Trent 1000-TEN variant (TEN standing for Thrust, Efficiency and New technology), which is said to be on target for scheduled certification by year-end, will be the first engine to power the 787-10, thus maintaining the design’s record as first choice on the aircraft. After powering the 787’s maiden flight in December 2009 and first commercial service in October 2011, it was the initial engine certified on the 787-8 and -9, first 787 powerplant to receive 330-minute extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards (ETOPS) clearance, and the first engine in service for the 787 family.

The Rolls-Royce official is “very proud” of the T1000’s continued operational reliability, which is subject to no performance constraints. Basic statistics for the powerplant’s in-service experience, which is growing month-by-month under “an increased delivery schedule,” cover 88 aircraft flying with 11 operators. As of May 2015, the data shows an impeccable record for in-flight shutdowns (IFSDs) and high-speed aborted takeoffs (standard measures of engine reliability) during 224,000 engine cycles, 112,000 flights and 872,000 hours of operation (forecast to reach one million, long before August).

Moore reports an engine dispatch reliability of 99.9 percent, explaining that after “full forensic investigation” of a single IFSD all parties agreed that the event had been a consequence of a bird strike four months previously and that the manufacturer was not accountable for any resulting damage. The T1000 fleet leaders have logged more than 10,850 flight-hours and over 4,000 power cycles; Rolls-Royce has removed the first sampling engine after accumulation of 1.5 million revenue-earning miles.

3 Percent SFC Advantage

Discussing powerplant performance, Moore said that on sectors of up to 3,000 miles the T1000-TEN variant is expected to offer a specific fuel consumption advantage of some 3 percent. The differential is confirmed by results of a Boeing technical audit of the variant early last year, according to Moore, who expects more fuel saving to become available “as development continues across the whole [T1000] range.”

For flights in excess of average 787 range, the T1000 delivers a fuel-burn advantage well ahead of the competing powerplant at shorter ranges, according to Moore. Claimed superior performance retention through the life of the engine is said to be worth “an additional one percent.”

With test engine assembly being completed in nonnumerical order, engine serial number (ESN) 11006–the fourth powerplant in the T1000-TEN development program–is midway through 150 hours of type test, according to Moore. With 67 hours’ work completed before the end of May, he expects completion “in the near future.”

ESN 11007 is scheduled to be used for in-flight testing aboard Rolls-Royce’s Boeing 747 flying testbed at Tucson, Arizona. This unit will take part in an operability survey and also be used for 787 integration work at Boeing.

Assembly of test powerplants ESNs 11004 and 11005 will be completed later for use in the T1000 maturity program; ESN 11005 is understood to be earmarked for 2,000 engine runs in connection with ETOPS approval and both units will be built to full production status with standard part numbers.

The manufacturer was expecting to complete icing tests with ESN 11003 by mid-June; that unit is also being used for altitude-performance and other operability work. Altitude performance has been “slightly better than pre-test predictions,” said Moore.

Global Prospects

The T1000 is now finding wide global favor with “significant” operators after an preponderance of European and North American buyers among initial customers, said Moore, who also said he is encouraged by recent market momentum. The greatest encouragement has come from Rolls-Royce’s victory in 12 of the past 19 sales campaigns: “This is testament to [airlines’ service experience] with more data available to inform [market] choices.” He pointed to a 42-percent share of 787 firm orders and 47-percent share of 787 operators.

This year Air China selected the T1000 for its 15 Boeing 787-9s, while Japan’s All Nippon Airways placed a fourth order for the engine, which will power 87 ANA 787s. Another follow-on customer is Spanish carrier Air Europa, which has selected it for the 14 787-9s that will complement eight T1000-powered 787-8s scheduled to enter service in 2016.

New customers beginning T1000 commercial service this year are Latin American airline group Avianca and Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot, which will use 787s to expand its long-haul fleet. (In early 2015, the first Singapore-assembled Trent 1000 was unveiled at the manufacturer’s Seletar facility.)

Finally, Moore confirmed that, to stay ahead of the in-service fleet, Rolls-Royce is still running Trent 1000 “maturity engines” to confirm behavior of Pack B and Pack C performance improvement measures.