UK, October 24. Rolls-Royce has agreed a contract with the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to support Trent 700 engines powering the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) in service with the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (AAE) and maintained by Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé).
The MissionCareTM agreement – which is up to a period of 20 years – provides availability-based support for the TRENT 700 engines to meet the needs of the Strategic Air Forces.
France selected the Trent 700 to power its MRTT fleet in June 2016, with the first aircraft entering service in October 2018. The Trent 700 has proved to be the engine of choice for the A330 MRTT also powering the fleets of the UK, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Qatar and NATO MMF.
The Trent 700 is ideally suited to military operations, delivering outstanding fuel burn, emissions and noise performance together with low observability and resistance to foreign object damage. In “hot, high and severe” environments the Trent 700 has consistently proven itself to have the best time on wing performance, up to double that of its nearest competitor.
The A330 MRTT Phoenix fleet is deployed by the Strategic Air Forces within the 31st Strategic Air Refuelling and Transport Wing based at Air Force Base 125 in Istres and will eventually comprise 15 aircrafts.
Alex Zino, Director of Business Development UK & International – Defence, Rolls-Royce, said: “This agreement will provide the French Air Force with a support service which will maximise their mission capability while also providing a predictable maintenance and cost structure. It further demonstrates our position as the leading provider of availability-based support to MRTT fleets on a global scale.”
Rolls-Royce has a strong relationship with France, with around 150 direct employees at four locations: Rolls-Royce Technical Services (RRTS), in Toulouse, Rolls-Royce Solutions France (MTU brand), near Paris and Cannes, and the Rolls-Royce regional Defence office in Paris. In Bordeaux, Rolls-Royce is completing a facility this year to support production of Dassault’s Falcon 10X.
As a strategic partner to the French armed forces, Rolls-Royce equips a variety of strategic platforms operated by the French air & space forces and the French Navy. Thanks to its long-standing partnership with Airbus, Rolls-Royce is also a key player in the French civil aerospace industry, powering all Airbus wide-body jets.
