Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engine receives FAA type certification
Rolls-Royce has announced that its Pearl 700 engine has received official certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Pearl 700 is the exclusive engine for the all-new Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. business aircraft Gulfstream G700 and Gulfstream G800.
Developed at the Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence for Business Aviation engines in Dahlewitz, Germany, the engine was custom-designed to power two of Gulfstream’s latest products, enabling them to fly ultra-long-range missions nearly as fast as the speed of sound.
The engine received its type certification from the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency EASA in September 2022.
During the comprehensive indoor and outdoor test programme, the engine demonstrated exceptional performance operating at sea-level and altitude conditions on both conventional jet fuel and 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
It proved its ability to withstand bird-strike, cross-winds, ice, hail and water ingestion, as well as passing the critical fan blade containment test, during which a fan blade is deliberately released at maximum speed.
Testing was conducted at various Rolls-Royce locations in Europe and North America, including Dahlewitz in Germany; Bristol in the UK; Manitoba and Montreal, Canada; the Rolls-Royce outdoor jet engine testing facility, located at NASA’s John C Stennis Space Centre, Mississippi, US; as well as the altitude test bed at AEDC (Arnold Engineering Development Center) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, US.
Dirk Geisinger, director, business aviation at Rolls-Royce, said: “This latest certification by the FAA for our Pearl 700 engine illustrates once again Rolls-Royce’s unique capabilities to design, test, build and certify highly efficient and reliable aircraft engines.
“This makes us really proud and is also a testament to the dedication of our global team to support our customer Gulfstream and the upcoming entry into service of the G700 and G800.
“We have worked closely with the FAA, EASA and Gulfstream to achieve this certification and I would like to thank all of them for their continued support.”
Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream, said: “We are excited about this latest advancement towards G700 and G800 certification. The G700 and G800 are introducing new standards for efficiency and performance in the business aviation industry thanks to the combination of Gulfstream aerodynamics and the Pearl 700’s efficiencies.
“We are seeing great demand for the technology, cabin comfort, and ultralong-range capabilities the G700 and G800 will provide our customers.”
The Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector, with a brand-new low-pressure system, resulting in an eight per cent increase in take-off thrust at 18,250lbf compared to the BR725 engine. The engine offers a five per cent higher efficiency, while maintaining its class-leading low noise and emissions performance.