The Wingman Engine, a European solution for large remote carriers, utilizes the efficient Advance2 core technology found in commercial and military platforms.
Rolls-Royce Deutschland and ITP Aero have officially entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a collaboration aimed at the development, production, and maintenance of a Wingman Engine. This engine is envisioned as an advanced, high-performance solution tailored for large-scale unmanned aerial vehicles.
During the MoU signing ceremony, a prototype of the Wingman Engine concept was revealed, showcasing its power and propulsion capabilities to attendees at the ILA Berlin Airshow. This agreement between Rolls-Royce Deutschland and ITP Aero will foster a German-Spanish approach, leveraging on the extensive partnership between the two companies, which has endured for over a decade.
René Bernstein, Vice President of Defence Germany at Rolls-Royce Deutschland stated, “As discussed at our successful Capital Markets Day, we’re continuing to leverage value from our Pearl engine family. The use of market-available technologies with a stable value chain reduces the overall risk and controls the development and product costs of platforms serving our security. In turn, this strengthens the international competitiveness of such a system in the long-term, and building on available advanced technology will enable the industry to move fast to make such complex products market-ready in uncertain geopolitical times.”
Dr. Dirk Geisinger, Chairman of Rolls-Royce Deutschland, and Carlos Alzola, Managing Director of ITP Aero, officially signed the MoU on June 5, 2024. The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Defence of both nations, government officials, politicians, and industry leaders. This event celebrated the joint initiative to develop a European power and propulsion solution, highlighting the exceptional engine design and manufacturing capabilities of Germany and Spain.
Alfredo Alonso, Head of Export & New Business Defence at ITP Aero said, “We are excited to continue our long-standing collaboration with Rolls Royce Deutschland for the design, development, manufacture and support of a Wingman Engine featuring high levels of design maturity and competitive operating and maintenance costs. This project represents a unique opportunity to develop a true European state-of-the-art propulsion solution for large remote carriers aimed to support the operations of existing and future systems in contested environments. I am convinced that our cutting-edge technologies and capabilities will significantly benefit this engine’s propulsive system, lowering operating and maintenance costs and reducing development time.”
The Wingman Engine represents a European solution adept at meeting the development and product cost prerequisites for diverse large remote carrier designs. Leveraging the Advance2 core demonstrator, renowned as the most potent and efficient core engine technology in its category, the engine concept draws upon existing applications powering both commercial and military platforms. As the foundation of the Pearl business jet engine family, the Advance2 core has already demonstrated its exceptional competitiveness and has been chosen to propel five aircraft models across different manufacturers.
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This defense application capitalizes on substantial investments made by both companies in civil and dual-use technologies, resulting in a cost-effective European solution.
