Rolls Royce's Boeing 747-200 'Trent 1000' testbed

Rolls-Royce Group plc is developing the Trent 1000 engine to be used on .the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is currently in development. Because the aircraft has not yet been produced, Rolls-Royce sought an aircraft to serve as a flying test bed for risk-reduction flight testing of the Trent 1000 engine. The company selected a 747 and has hired L-3 to mount a developmental Trent 1000 in place of one of the 747's usual engines so that it can perform tests on the new engine while the 787 continues development.

This program requires the modification of a Boeing 747-200 aircraft to include a pylon strut adaptor to interface with the Trent 1000 engine. We will be responsible for the aircraft modification, maintenance, logistics support and flight crews for the duration of the engine test program.

The Trent 1000 is the lead engine on the Boeing 787 program, having been selected by launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) to power its fleet of 50 Dreamliners. The engine has also been chosen by Air New Zealand. Development testing of the Trent 1000 will start in Spring 2006, leading to certification by the airworthiness authorities in 2007. It will enter service with ANA in 2008.