Rolls-Royce said Tuesday that it has completed altitude and operability testing for the company’s F130 engine as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) modernization for the B-52.
The announcement comes as the Air & Space Forces Association holds its annual symposium in Aurora, Colo.
Under CERP, the more powerful F130s are to replace the B-52’s eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103s, and, under the Radar Modernization Program, an active electronically scanned array radar based on RTX’s APG-79 is to replace the bomber’s Northrop Grumman APQ-166.
Rolls-Royce said that it conducted the altitude and operability testing at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in Tullahoma, Tenn., “where Rolls-Royce engineering teams worked side-by-side with the Air Force to validate performance in demanding mission conditions.”
“At AEDC, Rolls-Royce conducted altitude tests to demonstrate sustained performance for long-duration, high-altitude strategic missions; operability testing with distortion screens to replicate turbulent, real-world airflow and confirm engine stability under stress; and Integrated Drive Generator testing with Boeing to ensure stable and reliable electrical power during all mission scenarios,” according to Rolls-Royce.
Air Force Lt. Col. Timothy Cleaver, the service’s CERP program manager, said in the Rolls-Royce statement that “completing the series of tests at AEDC’s worldclass facility gives us confidence in the engine and associated systems as we proceed into test aircraft modification and flight testing.”
Rolls-Royce said that the F130s are durable and “low maintenance” and that they “are fully interchangeable in the dual-pod configuration – an upgrade from the current platforms left engine and right engine configuration – which will simplify logistics, improve readiness, and
make maintenance easier.”
The dual-capable B-52 bomber delivers the Long Range Standoff cruise missile, which carries the W80-4 warhead. The National Nuclear Security Administration is refurbishing the W80-4 warhead through a life extension program.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily first published a version of this story.