Rolls-Royce has created new engine controls capability near the campus of Purdue University to support the company’s U.S. defense business, including the F130 engine competing for the U.S. Air Force B-52 program.
Rolls-Royce will assemble and test electronic engine controllers, which help manage in-flight engine operations. The first controller has been completed at Rolls-Royce in the Purdue Research Foundation’s Discovery Park District adjacent to the Purdue campus at West Lafayette, Indiana, and will be installed onto a Rolls-Royce AE 3007H engine, manufactured at the company’s facilities in Indianapolis, U.S.
The very first engine equipped with the new controller will be delivered to Northrop Grumman for installation on a U.S. Navy Triton aircraft. Additionally, the new controllers will be installed on AE 3007 engines bound for the U.S. Air Force Global Hawk and the U.S. Navy MQ-25 Stingray aircraft.
Purdue University has been designated as a Rolls-Royce University Technology Partnership and has collaborated on research including advanced engine technology, materials and testing capability with Rolls-Royce investment at the university topping US$18 million since 2015 and more than 600 Purdue graduates among the company’s workforce in Indianapolis. Rolls-Royce and Purdue have also collaborated on initiatives in cybersecurity and digital technology, as well as the new controls project.
