Delta TechOps leaders and employees officially cut the ribbon, opening the world’s largest jet engine test cell.
The test cell, which is the first cell built by a U.S. airline in more than 20 years, is capable of running a mounted, stationary engine at full power with 150,000 pounds of thrust. To compare, the airline’s current test cell has a 68,000 pound thrust capacity and the most powerful jet engine in the world today, the GE90 that powers Delta’s Boeing 777-200LR fleet, is rated up to 115,000 pounds of thrust.
Delta is preparing for the future as the new test cell allows the airline to test engines that have yet to be designed and built.
The test cell, coupled with Delta’s new 127,000 ft², state-of-the-art engine repair shop, will allow the airline and its employees to provide maintenance on and test a new assortment of engines including the Trent 1000, Trent 7000 and Trent XWB and the PW1100 and PW1500 variants of the Geared Turbofan.
In October 2015, Delta and Rolls-Royce signed a formal agreement for Delta TechOps to become an Authorized Maintenance Center for Rolls-Royce engines. Under the agreement, the airline will provide engine services for the latest generation of Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, Trent 1000, Trent 7000 and BR715 engines.
