Rolls-Royce starts building the world’s largest engine

Rolls-Royce has officially started building the world’s largest engine, UltraFan, which it says will redefine sustainable travel for decades to come.

The engine is the basis for a potential new family of UltraFan engines able to power both narrowbody and widebody aircraft and deliver a 25 per cent fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine.

That performance improvement is crucial to aviation sustainability. Gas turbines will continue to be the bedrock of long-haul aviation, and UltraFan’s efficiency will help improve the economics of an industry transition to more sustainable fuels, which are likely to be more expensive in the short-term than traditional jet fuel. The first test run of the engine will be conducted on 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel