Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce is continuing the major modernization process of its engine test facilities across the U.S. Driven by environmental requirements, new engine technology, whether it serves aircraft, vessels, or other types of vehicles, also needs adequate manufacturing and testing facilities.
Rolls-Royce doesn’t shy away from huge investments when it comes to its facilities, and the five-year modernization program at two Indiana sites proves it. In 2021, the company announced a $600 million investment for upgraded equipment and advanced technology at its test facilities at the Indianapolis site. Now, it announced a further investment of $400 million as the next step for transforming its site at the campus into a state-of-the-art location for engine testing.
In fact, the Indianapolis site is set to become the company’s most advanced manufacturing campus out of all the ones that are operating across the world. This is where the engine of the iconic U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber will undergo future testing. Under a $2.6 billion contract that was signed last year, Rolls-Royce will manufacture and test 650 B-52 engines for USAF.
But the new test cells and control rooms will also be used to test the versatile gas turbine engines that the aerospace giant is developing for various applications, including commercial aircraft, ships, and different power systems.
The company’s second facility in Indiana is located in West Lafayette, at the Discovery Park District. This is where innovative capabilities for high-altitude, hybrid electrical, and hypersonics testing were added to the existing facility in 2021, in cooperation with Purdue University. The hypersonic flight comes with unique challenges, such as very high pressure and temperature levels. These challenges need to be addressed through dedicated testing technologies, which is what the Hypersonics Ground Test Center (HGTC) at Purdue University will do.
In addition to this complex modernization project centered around the two Indiana sites, Rolls-Royce has also invested heavily in all of its facilities across the U.S., from Massachusetts to California, since 2015.
In fact, the Indianapolis site is set to become the company’s most advanced manufacturing campus out of all the ones that are operating across the world. This is where the engine of the iconic U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber will undergo future testing. Under a $2.6 billion contract that was signed last year, Rolls-Royce will manufacture and test 650 B-52 engines for USAF.
But the new test cells and control rooms will also be used to test the versatile gas turbine engines that the aerospace giant is developing for various applications, including commercial aircraft, ships, and different power systems.
The company’s second facility in Indiana is located in West Lafayette, at the Discovery Park District. This is where innovative capabilities for high-altitude, hybrid electrical, and hypersonics testing were added to the existing facility in 2021, in cooperation with Purdue University. The hypersonic flight comes with unique challenges, such as very high pressure and temperature levels. These challenges need to be addressed through dedicated testing technologies, which is what the Hypersonics Ground Test Center (HGTC) at Purdue University will do.
In addition to this complex modernization project centered around the two Indiana sites, Rolls-Royce has also invested heavily in all of its facilities across the U.S., from Massachusetts to California, since 2015.
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