Britain's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and Rolls-Royce have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which R-R will use DERA's 'world class' noise test unit (NTF) for at least five years. This long-term agreement, facilitated by the UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and signed at Le Bourget on Tuesday, assures the future of the NTF for use by R-R and other customers.
The DTI regards the unit as a strategic asset to the UK's civil aerospace industry. Over the past four decades, it has helped DERA and R-R to achieve significant technical breakthroughs including a serrated nozzle which helped to provide significant reduction in aircraft engine noise levels.
Future
Says Chris Hole, director of procurement at R-R: "The news that the future of this facility is secured for the next five years is good news for our industry, good news for the environment and good news for R-R which has, over a long period, conducted key tests there. DERA's expertise has already led to many developments which help the industry to meet its requirements to reduce noise."
DERA's NTF boasts one of the largest anechoic chambers in the world. This high-quality chamber allows accurate acoustic measurements and the identification of acoustic sources.
Source: Flight Daily News
