Rolls-Royce announced yesterday that it has successfully completed the initial test of the YJ102R advanced propulsion system that it is developing under the Air Force-DARPA high speed turbine engine demonstration, or HiSTED, program. The test took place at the company’s LibertyWorks advanced research shop in Indianapolis, Ind. “The unique, power-dense design of this engine has the potential to take high-Mach propulsion to the next level,” said Phil Burkholder, LibertyWorks chief operating officer. He added, “Validating the progress achieved to date is a significant milestone and critical for the HiSTED program.” Under HiSTED, the company is working to design, fabricate, and ground test a high-Mach expendable turbine engine. This engine is expected to power the strike missile concept demonstrator called RATTLRS that Lockheed Martin is pursuing for the Navy. Additional testing of the HiSTED engine is scheduled to demonstrate its ability to achieve transonic acceleration and Mach 3+ cruise speed, Rolls-Royce said.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.