Rolls-Royce demonstrates growth in the Middle East

Some of the engine types in service now, or potentially in service in the region in the future, will be featured by Rolls-Royce at the Dubai Air Show (November 20-24).

Within the Civil Aerospace sector, the Rolls-Royce Trent family of engines has achieved a high level of success with a range of MENA airlines, such as Emirates, Qatar, Gulf Air, Saudi Arabian, Egyptair, Middle East Airlines (MEA) and Yemenia.

Earlier this year, the success of the Trent in the region was characterised by Etihad's selection of the Trent 900 and Trent 700 for its fleet of Airbus A380 and A330 aircraft in a deal worth $950 million.

The Trent 900-powered Airbus A380 is scheduled to appear at the Show. Etihad will be the first to operate the Trent-powered aircraft in the Middle East, with deliveries due to start in 2007.

Rolls-Royce also has a strong presence in the defence sector, with over 1,000 military engines in service in the region. The Royal Saudi Air Force operates more than 120 Tornado, 50 Hawk and 70 C130 aircraft while the Egyptian Air Force has 15 Commando helicopter - Gnome) and C130.

The latest variation of the Adour Engine, the Mk951 enters service in Bahrain in 2006. This extends the long and successful presence of the Adour family of engines in the Middle East, powering the Jaguar and Hawk aircraft of four Air Forces in the region.

The Mk951, which will be on display at the show, features a thrust increase to 6,500lb, a FADEC (full authority digital engine control) and an increase in engine overhaul life from 2,000 to 4,000 hours.

The Rolls-Royce exhibit also showcases two helicopter engines that have enjoyed success in the Middle East. The RTM322, which has proved itself very capable of operating in hot and conditions during deployments with the UK Royal Air Force's Merlin fleet, has become the engine of choice for the NH90 multirole helicopter.

More than 90 per cent of NH90 customers, including Oman, have selected the engine. There is strong potential for further sales in the region in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company (LHTEC) T800, a joint venture with Honeywell, is operating in Oman where it powers the fleet of Super Lynx 300 helicopters. The advanced capability of the engine has enhanced the customer's search and rescue capabilities and brought performance improvements in a harsh operating environment.

With such a large installed base and a wide variety of customers, the military aftermarket offers a major opportunity to add value to customers' operations and Rolls-Royce has recently secured a number of significant contracts through its unique Mission Ready Management Solutions (MRMS) offering.

The region also demonstrates the capability of Rolls-Royce to 'invent once - use many times." The Trent 800 engine that powers Boeing 777 aircraft in the Middle East, is also providing the core technology for industrial Trent packages for the Dolphin Gas Project - 400 km-plus sub-sea pipeline between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Six mechanical drive industrial Trent Dry Low Emission (DLE) compression packages will drive natural gas compressors to provide front-end gas boosting for the underwater pipeline, supplying gas from Ras Laffan, Qatar, to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.