Christopher Culp, the Rolls-Royce representative, is our next speaker and he is talking on the T56 engine Series 3.5 Enhancement program.
The program began with the US Navy looking for better fuel efficiency for the T56 engines on their C-130 aircraft.
The 3.5 upgrade doesn't require any aircraft interface change and includes several low risk technology upgrades.
Benefits include specific fuel consuption, improved turbine life, improved hot day takeoff performance, and less impact to the environment. SFC is up to 7.9% improvement. Environmental impact includes a reduction in 313 metric tons of CO2.
Development of the T56 3.5 is well underway. Rolls-Royce is working with the FAA on certifying a commercial derivative. A contract for a single-engine flight test demonstration was just awarded to RR by the US Air Force last Friday. Testing will take place next year, including a 400 hour endurance test.
Christopher noted that the question that he gets asked most often is "What about the smoke?" and the answer is the 3.5 Update, through the addition of parts and new technology, smoke will be significantly reduced.
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