Rolls-Royce Share of FSTA Trent 772 Engines and Support Contract

Released on Thursday, March 27, 2008

Rolls-Royce today welcomed the Ministry of Defence's award of the £13 billion contract to the AirTanker consortium for the UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) Private Finance Initiative programme.

As a shareholder and sub-contractor to AirTanker, the value to Rolls-Royce over the lifetime of the 27-year programme is estimated at over £700 million.

Rolls-Royce will build the Trent 700 engines which will power the fleet of 14 Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft, as well as providing Mission Ready Management Solutions® support for the propulsion system in service.

The Trent 700 engine is the most popular engine on the Airbus A330, which entered service in 1995. Its market share today stands at 53 per cent of firm and option orders, including 70 per cent of orders placed in the last five years. In the first three months of 2008, Trent 700 orders and TotalCare® service agreements totalled around $5 billion.

Martin Fausset, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, said: "The tanker contract is a landmark for Rolls-Royce. Our role in this programme will extend well beyond manufacturing and supporting the Trent engines for the Airbus A330s.

"As a shareholder in AirTanker we will also be involved in the total service provision for the contract, marking a further milestone in developing our aftermarket services strategy."

With the selection of AirTanker, the RAF will gain the same benefits from the new Trent technology, such as high levels of fuel efficiency, as many of today's leading airlines. The Trent 700 delivers the highest thrust available on the A330 resulting in increased operational flexibility. It is also the only engine on the A330 with a full-length cowl, reducing infra-red signature.

Rolls-Royce programme management and real-time, proactive diagnostic support will be provided from its Defence Aerospace headquarters in Bristol, with additional personnel based at RAF Brize Norton.

The engines will be assembled and tested at the Derby facility. Components for the Trent engines will be manufactured throughout the Rolls-Royce global supply chain.