Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract for building a new engine depot services facility for the US Air Force (USAF) RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle’s (UAV) AE 3007 turbofan engines at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma, US.
Awarded by the Global Hawk Systems Program Office (GHSPO), the $49m contract represents the company’s first public-private partnership to provide engine services for the USAF.
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Scheduled to be constructed in an existing building at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC), the facility will include new support equipment, tooling, work stations and assembly platforms, as well as modification of a current test cell.
As well as training OC-ALC’s employees to perform engine services, the company will also certify the facility following its completion.
OC-ALC is scheduled to be designated as an authorised military overhaul facility for the Rolls-Royce AE 3007H engines.
Rolls-Royce Defense Services president Paul Craig said: "This is another example of our customer-focused and innovative services for military operators."
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By GlobalDataOklahoma City Air Logistics Complex vice-director Kevin O’Connor added: "We believe this will be the beginning of a great relationship with Rolls-Royce and we look forward to even more partnership opportunities in the future."
The facility is expected to begin operations in 2015.
Based on the Rolls Royce AE 1107C-Liberty engine, the AE 3007 is a high bypass, two shaft engine featuring a fan, 14-stage high-pressure compressor, two-stage high-pressure turbine and three-stage low pressure turbine, and offers up to 42 kN of thrust.
Image: The USAF’s Globak Hawk UAV is powered by a single Allison Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine. Photo: courtesy of US Air Force, by Bobbi Zapka.
