Pearl 10X aeroengine nears readiness for flying testbed

Rolls-Royce’s (London, U.K.) recent progress report of its Pearl 10X engine, taking place at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, notes that the development program is advancing at pace and has successfully accumulated more than 1,500 testing hours, both on the Advance 2 demonstrator and the Pearl 10X engine configuration. The team is now preparing for the start of the flight test campaign on Rolls-Royce’s dedicated Boeing 747 flying testbed in Tucson, Arizona, which will start later in 2023.

The composites-intensive Pearl 10X is the newest member of the state-of-the-art Pearl engine family and the first Rolls‑Royce engine to power a Dassault Aviation (Paris, France) business jet. All tests completed to date confirm the reliability of the engine and show it will meet the performance requirements to power Dassault’s flagship Falcon 10X.

So far, testing has included rigorous evaluation of the new ultra-low emissions ALM combustor, which is compatible with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the new accessory gearbox, which enables higher additional power extraction. The engine, which surpassed its target thrust levels on the first test run, will be the most powerful business aviation engine in the whole Rolls-Royce portfolio, the company notes. The first run of the full powerplant, including its, bespoke Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan., U.S.) nacelle, engine build up (EBU) and mount system, was conducted earlier this year.

The Pearl 10X features the Advance2 engine core, a very efficient core, and combines it with a high-performance, low-pressure system, resulting in a superior thrust of more than 18,000 pound-force. The engine also includes a highly efficient blisked fan; a high-pressure compressor with a pressure ratio and six blisked stages; an ultralow emissions combustor; a two-stage shroudless high-pressure turbine as well as an enhanced four-stage low pressure turbine. This suite of technologies is housed within a new, ultra-slimline nacelle from Spirit.

According to Dr. Phillip Zeller, SVP Dassault, Rolls-Royce, the company is now looking forward to delivering the first engines for the flight test campaign.

In addition, construction of the company’s new 2,000-square-meter production support facility in Le Haillan near Bordeaux, France, is progressing according to plan. The site, which is in close proximity to Dassault’s final assembly line in Merignac, will play an important role in supporting the flight test and production activities for Dassault’s Falcon 10X. The facility will house offices, a workshop and a warehouse, and will be home for approximately 30 employees.