UK and Rolls-Royce Agree £2.5 Billion Ten-Year Programme for Next-Generation Narrowbody Jet Engines, Supporting 3,300 Jobs by 2029
The UK Government announced in London on October 28 that it has agreed a framework with Rolls-Royce for a joint 10-year, £2.5 billion research and technology programme to develop cleaner and more efficient jet engines for next-generation single-aisle (narrowbody) passenger aircraft and military planes. The Chancellor announced the deal in his Budget speech the same day.
The government said the multi-decade cooperation is expected to support 3,300 jobs at Rolls-Royce and in its supply chain by the end of 2029, with tens of thousands more roles possible in the decades ahead. Rolls-Royce estimates that securing a UK engine on these aircraft could lead to billions more being invested in the UK in the coming decades, amounting to £120 billion in economic impact over the lifetime of the programme. The Industrial Strategy identifies the narrowbody market as the UK aerospace sector's biggest opportunity over the next 50 years.
Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic called the agreement a landmark moment for the UK's aerospace industry. Rolls-Royce has been absent from the narrowbody engine market since selling its stake in the International Aero Engines consortium in 2012; that market is dominated by CFM International and Pratt & Whitney. Government funding remains subject to legal, value-for-money, affordability and approval processes.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 劳斯莱斯集团标志。公共领域（简单文字与图形标志），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Rolls-Royce Group logo. Public domain (simple text and graphic mark), via Wikimedia Commons.
