Rolls-Royce has secured a contract to support the AE 1107C Liberty turboshaft engines that power the US Air Force (USAF) and Marine Corps’ V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft fleet.
The $39m MissionCare contract is a modification of a prior agreement, which requires the company to repair the engines and also provide fleet support.
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Rolls-Royce Defence Services president Paul Craig said: "Rolls-Royce is continuously working to improve the AE 1107C engine, increasing both power and reliability for the operator."
A part of Rolls-Royce’s AE product family, the AE 1107 is a new-generation 6,000shp class turboshaft engine, and consists of a 14-stage compressor followed by an effusion-cooled annular combustor, a two-stage gas generator turbine and a two-stage power turbine.
The combat-proven powerplant shares a common core with the AE 3007 and AE 2100 engines, and is housed in V-22’s wing-tip tilting nacelles, which enables the distinctive flight characteristics of the aircraft.
A series of enhancements are being implemented by the company under the MissionCare support contract, to deliver 17% additional power to the engine and increase ‘hot and high’ performance, while significantly increasing time on wing.
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By GlobalDataManufactured by Bell-Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a multi-mission, tiltrotor aircraft featuring both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability.
Available in three configurations, the aircraft is used by USAF and the Marine Corps for amphibious assault, combat support, long-range special operations infiltration and exfiltration, transport, search-and-rescue, medical evacuation and fleet logistic support missions.
Work under the contract is scheduled to be performed at the company’s facilities in Indiana, and California, US, while fleet support will be carried out at customer bases in 2014 to 2015 timeframe.
Image: An AE 1107C Liberty engine nacelle on a V-22 Osprey aircraft at NAS Pensacola in Florida, US. Photo: courtesy of Jacobst.
