TT Electronics deepens aerospace and defence ties with Rolls-Royce and MBDA Italia

TT Electronics has strengthened its position in both civil aerospace and defence, securing a lifetime agreement to supply power electronics for Rolls-Royce large civil aircraft engines just days before expanding its relationship with MBDA Italia.

The Rolls-Royce agreement is the more substantial of the two announcements. Worth multiple millions of pounds, it will see TT Electronics’ UK facilities supply components for all Rolls-Royce large civil aircraft engines throughout their operational lives.

Seven days later, TT Electronics and MBDA Italia signed a Letter of Intent intended to deepen an existing industrial relationship and explore future opportunities. No programmes, contract value or prospective workshare have yet been disclosed, but the agreement adds another major European defence company to TT’s growing pipeline of aerospace and defence work.

TT Electronics secures lifetime Rolls-Royce engine agreement

Under the Rolls-Royce agreement, TT’s Bedlington and Barnstaple facilities will supply high-reliability power electronics for the engine manufacturer’s large civil portfolio.

The technology includes multi-chip power modules and precision magnetics which control how the engine operates, making the components a small but critical part of the propulsion system.

The agreement also extends a relationship between the two UK companies spanning four decades.

“This agreement is a reflection of the trust we’ve built together in the UK over four decades and our shared ambition to advance technology and improve engine performance,” said Rob Relph, Executive Vice President, Power Division at TT Electronics.

Its through-life nature is significant for TT. Rather than covering a single production batch, the agreement gives the company a role supporting Rolls-Royce engines throughout their operational lifetime.

MBDA Italia agreement builds on growing defence work

TT’s agreement with MBDA Italia is less defined, but points towards further opportunities on the defence side of the business.

The companies said the Letter of Intent strengthens an established collaboration and provides a platform to identify future work together.

It follows a series of defence wins for TT Electronics. In 2025, the company announced more than £20 million of new and renewed contracts spanning air, land and naval programmes, covering technologies including power conversion units, electromagnetics, microelectronics and rugged cable harness assemblies.

TT also has a long-term role supplying power management systems for the Eurofighter Typhoon programme from its Manchester facility, including aircraft being acquired by Turkey. That work is expected to continue well into the next decade.

Power demand grows across aerospace and defence

The two August announcements sit within a part of the aerospace supply chain becoming increasingly important as aircraft and defence platforms place heavier demands on their electrical systems.

More powerful sensors, computing systems, communications equipment and electrically driven systems all have to be supplied with reliable power, while aerospace manufacturers simultaneously face pressure to reduce weight, improve efficiency and package more capability into limited space.

For TT Electronics, that creates opportunities well beyond individual components. Its aerospace and defence portfolio now stretches across power conversion and management, microelectronics, magnetics, sensors, cable assemblies and other high-reliability electronics used in civil and military applications.

The Rolls-Royce agreement demonstrates the value of becoming embedded in a major aerospace programme for its entire life. The MBDA Italia relationship is at a much earlier stage, but suggests TT is looking for more opportunities to put the same specialist electronics expertise to work across Europe’s expanding defence market.