ITP Backs R&D Hub To Boost Role as Propulsion Tier One

Aircraft engines and components group ITP Aero is stepping up innovation at its new research and development center to lay the technological foundations for its growth strategy. Investments in the recently opened facility at Bilbao in northern Spain have been made with the support of its private equity majority shareholder, Bain Capital, in the three years since the company was sold by its former parent, Rolls-Royce.

The new ADvanced ManufacturIng aeRospace centEr (Admire) facility is expected to boost ITP’s role as a Tier 1 supplier to multiple propulsion partners, which now also include Rolls-Royce’s rival GE Aviation, Honeywell, and Pratt & Whitney. The company aspires to have more revenue-yielding intellectual property in future engine programs.

“Having this Tier 1 design and manufacturing capability that goes from design to manufacturing to service support, the complete life cycle of the product,” explained executive vice president of civil business Mikel Lantero. “That’s quite unique in terms of the value proposition of the market.”

ITP is looking to build on its almost four decades of experience in propulsion technology, having been formed in 1989 to manage Spain’s participation in the Eurofighter Typhoon’s EJ200 engine. Today, the group’s involvement in the civil sector currently drives around 75% of its revenues, with last year’s 24% year-over-year revenue growth generated across its portfolio.

“No OEM can be the lead on every technology,” CEO Eva Azoulay told reporters during a briefing ahead of the Paris Air Show, explaining her intention for ITP Aero to be well-positioned with technology for the next market cycle. “We are where we are today because of decisions and programs that we got on board with ten years ago. This is a long-cycle industry. If you don’t invest, you don’t get there.”

Increased R&D Commitments

Admire (pronounced ad-MEE-reh in Spanish) has been established with a €24 million ($27 million) investment and builds on work undertaken at the CFAA private-public-funded facility co-founded by ITP to focus on advanced machining methods. U.S.-based Bain’s commitment to research and development investment is paving the way for longer-term expansion of ITP’s portfolio, with €102 million ploughed into the business during 2024. Since being acquired from Rolls-Royce, the company has tripled its revenues and is now targeting a twofold increase in profitability by 2030.

Much of the R&D work undertaken at Admire will focus on increasing the efficiency of gas turbine engines and the specialist propulsion modules produced by ITP. The 34,400-sq-ft shop floor includes dedicated areas for additive manufacturing and advanced repair technologies, with a ceramics casting line to be commissioned in July.

Increased exploitation of 3D printing is seen as a key area for innovation. In August 2024, ITP received EASA’s first certification for an additively manufactured structural component (the TP400 rear structural engine vane).

According to ITP’s chief technology officer, Erlantz Cristóbal, advanced manufacturing methods will play a fundamental role in the next-generation heat exchangers and heat-management systems for tomorrow’s engines. “Gas turbines are going to continue to be paramount in aviation—so we will carry on investing in the most efficient engines,” he said.

An ITP-developed heat exchanger is also one of three modules, alongside nozzles and a low-pressure turbine, being prepared for the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program. The Bilbao-based company has the leading role in the engine responsibilities of Spanish partners.

“We are a solid player. We are a well-reputed and preferred provider in Spain [for the Eurofighter]. So that gives us a privileged position on these European consortiums and needs,” said Azoulay, who believes that ITP’s defense activity—comprising 15% of its total business—is set to remain stable. “We see that holding well for us, and there’ll be more to come as all these defense conversations in governments are happening.”

Another area of defense focus is the propulsion system for a potential remote carrier. However, Azoulay suggested that with opportunities such as “loyal wingman” platforms, “the time spent trying to understand what is needed, what size, what capability, what scalability, is worthwhile.”

Electric Propulsion Opportunities

With evolving heat-management solutions equally applicable to future propulsion technologies, ITP is also starting to explore electrification and hydrogen applications. Despite Cristóbal acknowledging that it remains unclear which of various contending power sources and architectures will emerge dominant, ITP is willing to invest in pushing the boundaries of these technologies.

This agnostic approach is exemplified by the role of another new ITP test facility under construction at Spain’s Morón Air Base, focusing on midsize engines of up to 35,000 pounds thrust. This is set to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2026 and will include provision for traditional and sustainable jet fuel, alongside liquid and gaseous hydrogen.

In preparation for how hydrogen technology could potentially combine with ITP’s work in low-pressure turbines, compressors, hot structures, and combustors, the company conducted its first 100% hydrogen combustion test on an APU in May.

“It’s a matter of aligning the economy of scale and the logistics that you are going to be ready by the time you get a product,” Azoulay suggested, seemingly unfazed by Airbus’ recent deferral of its own ZEROe hydrogen aircraft initiative.

Alongside participation in various public-private collaborative programs, ITP is also preparing its submission for the fourth round of the European Union-funded Heaven project, working to develop and scale the Rolls-Royce Ultrafan engine for new reduced-carbon applications.

A separate project is also seeing ITP develop electric propulsion systems with power ratings ranging from 70 to 700 kilowatts for different applications. These demonstrators are to be tested over the next few weeks.

While eVTOL aircraft appear to be taking longer than anticipated to get to market, Cristóbal said he remains confident that some will succeed. Providing an entire powertrain for a new aircraft could potentially change ITP’s relationship with OEMs, but he indicated that such an initiative is by no means out of the question, based on its experience with the EJ200 turbofan.

The company’s risk-and-revenue-sharing role in Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan program is evidence of ITP’s willingness to play the long game in reaping commercial rewards. “As an independent player, and just one of a handful of Tier 1 players in this industry, we think we have a great opportunity to support not just what the market really needs today, but to be there on the future platforms,” Azoulay concluded.