Rolls-Royce joins three partners to fend off rival bid from Pratt & Whitney Canada
Rolls-Royce is forming a company - Euro Prop International (EPI) - with ITP, MTU and Snecma to propose an engine for the Airbus Military (AMC) A400M. The consortium is competing with Pratt & Whitney Canada to make the powerplant for the four-engine tactical transport.
The UK company was part of the former Aero Propulsion Alliance (APA) originally selected to build the A400M engine before AMC re-opened the competition earlier this year (Flight International, 26 February-4 March).
Martin Lee, R-R director business strategy and new projects, says the all-new engine meets AMC's revised baseline and growth requirements. The former includes a need for more electrical power.
Lee says EPI meets the desire for a European programme, adding: "The engine is specific to the A400M. It is the major European engine manufacturers doing a programme for their major customers, so it's going to be important for them to get it right."
Ahead of AMC selecting the powerplant, EPI is being set up and personnel nominated for key positions. "EPI will have proper management accountability and responsibility, unlike APA. We've listened to Airbus so EPI will have a managing director empowered to run the business."
Rolls-Royce and Snecma will collaborate on the core, with the former responsible for the high pressure (HP) compressor and the latter for the combustor and HP turbine, says Lee. MTU will produce the intermediate stage compressor and turbine and ITP will provide the low pressure turbine (LPT), he adds. "We don't see this as a technology push programme, it uses existing technology - that's how we will manage to develop the engine to meet the aircraft timescales."
EPI will run a competition to supply the LPT-driven gearbox. Candidates include Fiat, Snecma subsidiary Hispano-Suiza, and R-R North America, says Lee. "We will start the selection process if we are chosen by Airbus. We have done the concept work of what the gearbox should be and do," he adds.
APA included Fiat and Belgium's Techspace Aero. Italy has left the A400M programme, so Fiat can be eliminated from the consortium, and Techspace, majority owned by Snecma, will take part under the French manufacturer's control to reduce management complexity.
Meanwhile, Spain has signed the intergovernmental side-letter covering Germany's split funding of 73 A400Ms. Portugal is the only country yet to sign: a new defence minister is reviewing the programme before a commitment.
Source: Flight International
