Rolls-Royce Starts Engine Testing for U.S. FLRAA Program

Rolls-Royce has started AE1107F engine testing to support the U.S. Army’s MV-75 Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. Evaluation will be conducted at its manufacturing campus in Indianapolis, the company's largest facility in the U.S.

FLRAA was initiated in 2019 to develop a successor to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility program, which has been in service since 1979. In December 2022, the U.S. Army selected the Rolls-Royce-powered Bell Textron V-280 for the FLRAA program, officially designating it the MV-75 (Multi-Mission Vertical Takeoff).

Bell senior v-p and FLRAA program director Ryan Ehinger previously commented that the upcoming aircraft will embody “the only future vertical lift weapons system with the flight-proven agility, speed, range and endurance for the FLRAA mission.”

Each aircraft will be equipped with two Rolls-Royce AE1107F engines, which the manufacturer describes as featuring “world-class power density, cyber-compliant controls and survivability technology.” AE1107C engines are currently used by the U.S. Department of Defense to power V-22 Ospreys.

When certified, the powerplant will be the latest addition to Rolls-Royce’s AE family of engines, sharing 80% commonality. Rolls-Royce said the “unique common core design provides significant economic benefits, reduces risk and increases speed-to-market for new AE engine variants,” as well as helping support supply-chain availability. Bell is expected to deliver its first prototype MV-75 in 2027.