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Rolls-Royce announced the flight test campaign for its latest business aviation aero engine, the Pearl 10X, on its Boeing 747 flying testbed.
Dassault Aviation has exclusively selected the engine to power its new flagship aircraft, the Falcon 10X.
The start of flight testing is a milestone for the Pearl 10X program and for Rolls-Royce as it focuses on growing in the business aviation market, as outlined at last year’s Capital Markets Day.
The Pearl 10X is the newest member of the Pearl engine family and the first Rolls-Royce engine to power a Dassault Aviation business jet.
Based in Tucson, Arizona, pilots and flight test engineers will put the engine through its paces over the coming months. The flight test program includes engine performance and handling checks at various speeds and altitudes, inflight relights, nacelle’s anti-icing system tests, and fan vibration tests at multiple altitudes.
So far, the development program on the ground has included rigorous testing of the new ultra-low emissions ALM combustor, which is compatible with 100% SAF, and the new accessory gearbox, which allows for higher additional power extraction. The engine, which surpassed its target thrust levels on the first test run, will be the most powerful business aviation engine in the Rolls-Royce portfolio.
Philipp Zeller, Senior Vice President Dassault, Business Aviation, Rolls?Royce, said: “We are excited to enter into this important next phase of the engine development programme with the start of our flight test campaign. All the tests completed to date confirm the reliability of the engine and show it will meet the performance requirements to power Dassault Aviation’s flagship, the Falcon 10X.”
The program is advancing rapidly and has accumulated over 2,300 testing hours on the Advance 2 demonstrator and the Pearl 10X engine configuration.
The Pearl 10X features the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available in the business aviation sector. It combines it with a high-performance low-pressure system, producing a superior thrust of over 18,000lbf. Compared to the last generation of Rolls-Royce business aviation engines, the Pearl 10X offers a 5% higher efficiency while delivering outstanding low noise and emissions performance.
