The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97, the most powerful variant of the Trent XWB turbofan jet engine, has earned formal flight certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency in advance of entering into service later this year. The Trend XWB was developed specifically for the Airbus A350-1000 wide-body aircraft, for which it is the exclusive power source.
At nearly 74-meters long, the A350-1000 is the largest model in the A350 series, seating 366 passengers in a three-class layout, for routes over 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km).
Rolls-Royce has called the Trent XWB “the world's most efficient large civil aero engine and the fastest-selling Trent engine ever.” More than 1,600 have been sold to date to more than 40 customers worldwide.
Rated for 97,000 lb. of thrust, Trent XWB-97 achieves that level of power through a combination of new, high-temperature turbine technology, a larger engine core, and advanced fan aerodynamics.
The Trent XWB-97 is due to enter commercial service this fall with the inaugural flight of the A350-1000 by Qatar Airways.
The jet-engine builder noted the EASA certification builds on the success of the 84,000lb thrust version of the Trent XWB, which entered passenger service in 2015 powering the Airbus A350-900. It follows by less than a week the certification of the Trent 1000 TEN engine, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“We are very proud of the success of the Trent XWB program and look forward to the newest variant of the engine entering into service later this year,” according to Andrew Gwynne, Rolls-Royce, Chief Engineer – Trent XWB.
