Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Aerospace

Rolls-Royce UltraFan ALPS testing underway

Engineers at Rolls-Royce in Derby, UK, have successfully tested a key component of the UltraFan engine design, with - for the first time - all composite elements of the Advanced Low Pressure System (ALPS), including fan blades, a fan case and annulus fillers, being tested together on a donor engine.

Above: Engineers at Rolls-Royce in Derby, UK, have successfully tested a key component of the UltraFan engine design.
Copyright Rolls-Royce All rights reserved

UltraFan will deliver significant weight, noise and fuel burn reductions and will be 25% more efficient than a first-generation Trent engine.

Advertisement
Siemens rectangle

The engine parts are manufactured using state-of-the-art, fully automated construction methods at Rolls-Royce’s Composites Technology Facility, a Composites Centre of Excellence.

Each fan blade is made robotically, building up around 500 layers of carbon fibre materials. Heat and pressure are then applied, and each blade is finished with a leading titanium edge, which offers extreme protection against foreign objects and bird strikes. When laid out, the layers of composite material that make up the fan blades and the fan case on this engine would stretch from London to Leeds.

The Advanced Low Pressure System demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s IntelligentEngine vision. Each blade has a digital twin – an identical virtual copy. During testing, vast amounts of data will be collected that will be fed into the digital twins, and allow engineers to predict how each blade will perform in service.

Ash Owen, Rolls-Royce, Chief Engineer, Civil Aerospace Demonstrator Programmes said: “These incredible technologies are taking our world-leading fan efficiency to the next level. More than a decade of research and development has brought us to this point and I’m confident that after extreme weather testing in Canada and performance testing in Germany, we can prove ALPS technology even further here in Derby, moving us one step closer to our UltraFan demonstrator.”

Advertisement
Leonardo

The Advanced Low Pressure System programme is a partnership between Rolls-Royce, Clean Sky, Innovate UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Aerospace Technology Institute, ITP Aero and GKN.

 

Advertisement
Cranfield University
Intelliconnect strengthens management team

Aerospace Defence

Intelliconnect strengthens management team

17 September 2025

RF and Cryogenic interconnect solutions specialist Intelliconnect (Europe), has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Yiannis Metallinos as Managing Director and Gary Langridge as Engineering Manager.

Getac launches UX10 and UX10-IP rugged tablets

Aerospace Defence Security

Getac launches UX10 and UX10-IP rugged tablets

17 September 2025

Getac has announced the launch of its next generation UX10 and UX10-IP fully rugged tablets.

Smith Myers to supply ARTEMIS Systems to Airbus Helicopters

Aerospace Defence

Smith Myers to supply ARTEMIS Systems to Airbus Helicopters

16 September 2025

Smith Myers has secured a major contract with Airbus Helicopters, under the framework of which ARTEMIS Mobile Phone Detection and Location Systems (MPDLS) will be factory-fitted and offered as a retrofit option across Airbus Helicopters' fleet of aircraft.

Britten-Norman Islander production reaches key milestone

Aerospace

Britten-Norman Islander production reaches key milestone

16 September 2025

Britten-Norman, manufacturer of the Islander aircraft, has reached a major milestone in its programme to bring full aircraft production to its Bembridge facility on the Isle of Wight, UK.

Advertisement
Amentum rectangle
TEKEVER reveals its largest UK site todate

Aerospace Defence

TEKEVER reveals its largest UK site todate

15 September 2025

TEKEVER has announced a new manufacturing facility in The Spectrum Building, a historic, Grade II-listed architectural icon designed by Sir Norman Foster, completed in 1982 and featured in James Bond film 'A View to a Kill' in 1984.

CBI offers support for Stansted’s growth plans

Aerospace

CBI offers support for Stansted’s growth plans

15 September 2025

Members of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) visited London Stansted to see first-hand the airport’s role in driving regional economic growth and to offer their support for its plans to raise its passenger cap from 43 to 51 million a year, without increasing the number of flights beyond current permissions.

Advertisement
ODU RT