Rolls-Royce's evaluation of the AE 1107F engine for the United States The Army MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program has commenced in Indianapolis, the company announced on December 16.

The MV-75, manufactured by Textron, Inc.'s Bell, will be equipped with two AE 1107F engines.

Rolls-Royce said that the “advanced manufacturing facility” in Indianapolis is the company’s largest in the US and that Rolls-Royce “has invested more than $1 billion in technology enhancements, facility upgrades, and test capabilities over the past decade to support US Department of Defense programs like the MV-75 FLRAA.”

The US Army intends to reach an initial production decision regarding the MV-75 in fiscal year 2028, thereby advancing the timeline by one year from the originally scheduled schedule.

The AE 1107F is the newest in the AE line of engines, which have “more than 90 million flight hours across 16 commercial and military platforms,” Rolls-Royce said on Dec 16. “AE engines share a common core, with 80 percent commonality across the engine family.”

The AE series includes the AE 1107C on the US A Bell-Boeing team designed the V-22 tiltrotor for the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force, while Textron marinized the MT7 engine for the Navy's Ship-to-Shore Connector landing craft.

Unlike the V-22, which features tilting engine nacelles, the MV-22 is to have fixed engines and tilting proprotors.

Source: Avionics International/Defense Daily