Rolls- Royce on Monday launched a project with Purdue University to build new test facilities for high-altitude and hybrid-electric engines for future U.S. military aircraft.
The multi-million-dollar project will be developed at the Purdue Aerospace District adjacent to the Indiana campus of Purdue where Rolls Royce already conducts engine research. The company will fund most of the work, with support from Purdue and its research foundation. Details about the size of the new facility and its actual cost were not available.
Rolls Royce will build a high-altitude test cell at the West Lafayette location to simulate air conditions for testing and flying engines at altitude even as the test engine remains on the ground. A large number of current and future engines will be tested, including the AE 1107C for the V-22 Osprey, the AE 2100 engines for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and the engines for the Bell V-280 Valor aircraft competing in the U.S. Army program for future long-range assault aircraft.
The new test campus will also expand Rolls-Royce capability to test hybrid-electric technologies including batteries, thermal management, generators, power electronics and directed energy, the company said.
Rolls-Royce also hopes the testing facility will help the contractor meets it goal of net-zero carbon status in its operations by 2030, the company said in a statement.
The company recently benefited from a $600 million modernization program at the location in coordination with state and local support.
Purdue officials said the Rolls-Royce announcement is the university’s largest research collaboration with a private-sector partner, although it did not announce the dollar amount of the investment. Rolls-Royce employs hundreds of Purdue engineers, the college said.
The existing research facility opened in a 55,000 square foot facility in 2017.
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