Rolls-Royce has started the flight test campaign for its Pearl 10X aero engine for the business aviation sector on its Boeing 747 flying testbed in Arizona, USA.
The launch customer for the Pearl 10X is French aircraft manufacturer Dassault, which will use the engine to power its latest flagship business jet, the Falcon 10X.
The start of flight testing is a key milestone for the Pearl 10X program and for Rolls-Royce, which has said it wants to focus on supplying engines to the business aviation market.
The Pearl 10X is the latest member of the Pearl engine family and the first Rolls-Royce engine ever to power a Dassault business jet.
The test campaign, which is based in Tucson, Arizona, USA, will see pilots and flight test engineers put the engine through its paces over the coming months. The flight test program will include engine performance and handling checks at various speeds and altitudes, inflight relights, tests of the nacelle’s anti-icing system and fan vibration tests at various altitudes.
So far, the development program on the ground has included the testing of a new ultra-low emissions combustor, which is compatible with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and a new accessory gearbox, which allows for higher additional power extraction.
The engine surpassed its target thrust levels on the very first test run and will be the most powerful business aviation engine in the Rolls-Royce portfolio when testing is complete.
Philipp Zeller, senior vice president Dassault, business aviation at Rolls-Royce said, “We are excited to enter into this important next phase of the engine development program with the start of our flight test campaign. All the tests completed to date confirm the engine’s reliability and show it will meet the performance requirements to power Dassault’s flagship, the Falcon 10X.”
The program has so far accumulated more than 2,300 testing hours on the Advance 2 demonstrator and the Pearl 10X engine configuration.
The Pearl 10X features the efficient Advance2 engine core and a high-performance low-pressure system, resulting in a thrust of more than 18,000lbf. Compared to the last generation of Rolls-Royce business aviation engines, the Pearl 10X offers a 5% higher efficiency, while delivering lower noise and emissions.
