Rolls-Royce and Chinese Jiangsu A-Star have signed a new, long-term agreement to supply M250 turboprop engines for the Extra EA-500 comp...
Rolls-Royce and Chinese Jiangsu A-Star have signed a new, long-term agreement to supply M250 turboprop engines for the Extra EA-500 composite turboprop business aircraft.
Under the agreement Rolls Royce will supply its M250-B17F engines to the Chinese produced EA-500s. Jiangsu A-Star purchased the Type Certificate and production rights for the Extra EA-500 aircraft from Extra Aircraft of Germany in August 2013, and has developed production facilities in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, near Shanghai.
Engines for the aircraft will be assembled at Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis, US, and shipped to Zhenjiang for installation in the aircraft.
The agreement worth more than US$ 50 million also has orders for hundreds of engines. The deliveries will beginning in 2015.
Originaly developed by Allison, the M250 is one of the most dependable light gas-turbine engines in the world for light turboprop aircraft and helicopters. The engine line has amassed over 225 million flight hours, with 15,000 engines in service around the world today. More than 100 aircraft types have been powered by the M250 engine over the past 50 years. The engine has a Time Before Overhaul (TBO) of 3500 hours, making it very affordable and efficient.
The M250 turboshaft engines are of two-shaft modular design featuring a two-stage LP turbine, two-stage HP turbine, and a gearbox with 6,000rpm output. Compressed air is routed to the aft end of the engine for combustion, with exhaust gases exiting from the middle of the engine.
The EA-500 is a pressurized single engine turboprop business aircraft constructed with carbon fiber making it very light and strong. The aircraft weighs only 3100 lbs, 700 pound less than the nearest competitor.
Extra has opted for the less powerful, more fuel efficient M250 engine, which costs less to purchase and operate, and provides more range than its nearest competitor, the famous Pratt & Whitney PT-6. But the engine has a fairly high lapse rate, meaning that its power output drops quickly with altitude above sea level and air temperature above standard.
Rolls and Jiangsu are also in discussions on maintenance, repair and overhaul, and other new service capabilities to support the Chinese market, as well as training opportunities.
