Rolls-Royce Trent
turbofan aircraft engine family
The Rolls-Royce Trent is a family of high-bypass turbofans produced by Rolls-Royce. It continues the three spool architecture of the 1972 RB211 with a maximum thrust ranging from 61,900 to 97,000 lbf (275 to 431 kN). Launched as the RB-211-524L in June 1988, the prototype first ran in August 1990. Its first variant is the Trent 700 introduced on the Airbus A330 in March 1995, then the Trent 800 for the Boeing 777 (1996), the Trent 500 for the A340 (2002), the Trent 900 for the A380 (2007), the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 (2011), the Trent XWB for the A350 (2015), and the Trent 7000 for the A330neo (2018). It also has marine and industrial variants such as the RR MT30.
Development
Despite the success of the RB211, Rolls-Royce's share of the large civil turbofan market was only 8% when it was privatised in April 1987, the market being dominated by General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. In June 1987, Rolls-Royce was studying whether to launch a 65,000 lbf (290 kN) thrust variant of the RB211, to be called the RB211-700, for the Airbus A330 twin-jet, the long-range Boeing 767 and the MD-11, derived from the 747-400's -524D4D, with growth potential to 70,000 lbf (310 kN). By June 1988, Rolls-Royce was investing over $540 million to develop the uprated RB-211-524L with a new 95 in (240 cm) fan (up from 86 in (220 cm)) for the -524G/H and a fourth LP turbine stage up from three, targeting 65,000 to 70,000 lbf (290 to 310 kN).
At the September 1988 Farnborough Airshow, the 65,000–72,000 lbf (290–320 kN) -524L development was confirmed, estimated at £300 million, to power the MD-11 and A330 as a full-scale model was unveiled by Frank Whittle. In June 1989, the RB211-524L Trent was confirmed for the A330, rated at 74,000 lbf (330 kN).
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