UK, December 6. The Tempest programme is revolutionising the way we power combat air systems. In an aim to be more electric, more intelligent and to harness more power, any future fighter aircraft will require unprecedented levels of electrical power. For Rolls-Royce, the ambition is to provide not only the thrust that propels an aircraft through the sky, but also the electrical power required for all the systems on board, as well as managing all the resulting thermal loads.
“Electrification offers the promise of more efficient and sustainable flight, by reducing fuel consumption, extending aircraft range and decreasing operating costs for our customers. We are delivering more sustainable power than ever before and intelligently distributing it to systems across the platform, whilst ensuring availability of electrical power where it is needed to ensure safe operation.
“Technology advancements in power and energy density over the last years have evolved and we are able to realise the innovative solutions that have technological and economic benefits to existing aircraft propulsion systems across all sectors, including Defence.
“Across Rolls-Royce as a whole, we are already championing sustainable power – developing and testing innovative technologies and systems, together with our partners, to create the electric propulsion and energy systems that our future societies will require.”
— Phil Townley, Director Future Programmes, Defence
Tempest represents a highly ambitious programme and will form a significant part of the UK MOD’s new future combat air strategy, ensuring the UK remains a global leader in the sector. Working collaboratively with our partners BAE Systems, Leonardo, MBDA and wider Defence industry companies, we will take a leading role in the next generation of air power and our aim to be more electric is integral to this.
Electrical, Intelligent and Integrated Power & Propulsion
Whilst the gas turbine remains at the forefront of Rolls-Royce’s contribution, the focus is also on developing capability as part of a wider power and propulsion system, coupling an increased power generation capability with an intelligent thermal management system. The integrated power and propulsion system would offer the platform a complete solution to satisfy customers’ electrical, thermal and propulsive needs.
Optimising Performance, Operability and Efficiency
At the power and propulsion system level, increasing electrification offers benefits in terms of performance and functionality, when compared to a traditional gas turbine engine.
- Stored electrical energy can be used in conjunction with embedded electrical machines to improve engine operability. The electrification of accessories for fuel and oil pumping effectively decouples these systems from the gas turbine operation. This enables optimisation in the sizing of these components whilst also offering the ability to operate these systems independently of the gas turbine.
- Intelligent power management enables real time optimisation of both the electrical power provision and the gas turbine performance to maximise the overall efficiency, while electrical protection technologies enable the system to detect, diagnose and react to emergent issues rapidly by isolating faults and reconfiguring the system to ensure availability of electrical power where it is needed most.
- There are also packaging and installation benefits to the platform offered by a ‘more-electric engine’ architecture; power electronic drives and energy storage devices can be distributed and located away from the main propulsion system and are not constrained in the same way as the equivalent hydraulic/pneumatic systems.
The integrated approach taken to develop these technologies offers significant spill over benefit into adjacent market sectors such as civil aerospace applications, where the accelerating drive towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly future will lean heavily on more electric technologies.
Early Innovation
Even before the launch of the Tempest programme, Rolls-Royce Defence had already started to address the demands of the future. Back in 2014, the company took on the challenge of designing an electrical starter generator that was fully embedded in the core of a gas turbine engine, now known as the Embedded Electrical Starter Generator or E2SG demonstrator programme. The E2SG was designed to save space, which is desirable for a stealth platform, and provide the large amount of electrical power required by future fighters.
A Collaborative Approach
Valuable lessons have been learned from Rolls-Royce’s Civil Aerospace and Power Systems businesses who are driving electrification in core areas such as small propeller aircraft, including ACCEL; the drive to build the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) applications and commuter aircraft. Collaboration across these different markets will allow Rolls-Royce Defence to achieve its carbon reduction targets and provide Defence customers with more competitive environmentally friendly solutions that will benefit air fleets around the globe.
