Aero Engine Controls
Encyclopedia
Aero Engine Controls is a 50:50 joint venture between Rolls-Royce plc
and Goodrich Corporation
formed in 2009. The company produces electronic engine controls (EEC)
, fuel metering units (FMU)
, fuel pumps and engine actuators for a large number of common commercial and military aircraft.
The company has large engineering and manufacturing facilities in Birmingham UK
, engineering facilities in Derby
, Belfast
and Indianapolis
as well as regional support offices in Dubai
and Singapore
. It is estimated that Aero Engine Controls employs over 1700 people worldwide.
to form LucasVarity
. In 1999 LucasVarity was acquired by TRW
for $6.6bn, which sold the Lucas Aerospace section of the company to Goodrich Corporation for $1.5bn in 2002.
In 2008 Rolls-Royce was the second largest producer of aircraft engines worldwide behind General Electric
and ahead of Pratt & Whitney
. As the focus for engine efficiency shifted away from physical design and more towards sophisticated engine control techniques, Rolls-Royce found it could potentially fall behind its competitors as the only one of the three companies to outsource these key components. Rolls-Royce and the Goodrich Corporation saw a clear opportunity for partnership, combining the existing manufacturing capability of Goodrich with the expertise of Rolls-Royce.
The Rolls-Royce Goodrich engine controls joint venture was announced on 14 August 2008 and agreement between the two companies was made on 22 December 2008 to form 'Rolls-Royce Goodrich Engine Control Systems Limited' with the trading company name of Aero Engine Controls. In the formation of Aero Engine Controls both companies contributed over £14m in assets and cash to the joint venture, with Rolls-Royce making a cash payment to the Goodrich Corporation of $100m.
The Indianapolis branch is expanding rapidly and is able to work alongside the existing Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant in the city. Due to rapid growth and demand for engineering expertise, between 2011 and 2013 Aero Engine Controls plans to add up to 159 engineering jobs to the current 89, and plans to "add an assembly and test organisation in Indianapolis in the next few years".
Notable aircraft for which Aero Engine Controls has provided its key components include but are not exclusive to:
systems and centrifugal pumping systems
for most modern military jet engine
s including:
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
and Goodrich Corporation
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
formed in 2009. The company produces electronic engine controls (EEC)
FADEC
Full Authority Digital Engine Control is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an electronic engine controller or engine control unit , and its related accessories that control all aspects of aircraft engine performance...
, fuel metering units (FMU)
Fuel control unit
Fuel control unit is the generic term given to any of several types of control systems for gas turbine engines.-Fundamentals of turbine engine control:...
, fuel pumps and engine actuators for a large number of common commercial and military aircraft.
The company has large engineering and manufacturing facilities in Birmingham UK
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, engineering facilities in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
as well as regional support offices in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It is estimated that Aero Engine Controls employs over 1700 people worldwide.
History
The company is descended from a previously a key part of Lucas Industries, responsible for producing fuel systems for aircraft. From 1938 the company produced fueling systems for second world war aircraft. In August 1996 the company was merged, along with the rest of Lucas Industries, with the North American Varity CorporationVarity
Varity was a former farm equipment company, created in 1986 from the remains of Massey-Ferguson Limited of Toronto, Ontario. Varity also owned Perkins Engines headquartered in Peterborough England and Kelsey-Hayes Group of Companies headquartered in Romulus, Michigan...
to form LucasVarity
LucasVarity
LucasVarity plc was a UK automotive parts manufacturer, created by a merger of the British Lucas Industries plc, and the North American Varity Corporation in August 1996.-Foundation:...
. In 1999 LucasVarity was acquired by TRW
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
for $6.6bn, which sold the Lucas Aerospace section of the company to Goodrich Corporation for $1.5bn in 2002.
In 2008 Rolls-Royce was the second largest producer of aircraft engines worldwide behind General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and ahead of Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
. As the focus for engine efficiency shifted away from physical design and more towards sophisticated engine control techniques, Rolls-Royce found it could potentially fall behind its competitors as the only one of the three companies to outsource these key components. Rolls-Royce and the Goodrich Corporation saw a clear opportunity for partnership, combining the existing manufacturing capability of Goodrich with the expertise of Rolls-Royce.
The Rolls-Royce Goodrich engine controls joint venture was announced on 14 August 2008 and agreement between the two companies was made on 22 December 2008 to form 'Rolls-Royce Goodrich Engine Control Systems Limited' with the trading company name of Aero Engine Controls. In the formation of Aero Engine Controls both companies contributed over £14m in assets and cash to the joint venture, with Rolls-Royce making a cash payment to the Goodrich Corporation of $100m.
Indianapolis
Although the Indianapolis branch is part of Aero Engine Controls the company, it is a separate legal entity with its own board of directors. This allows Aero Engine Controls to participate in large classified US defence contracts, which it would otherwise be unable to do for reasons of national security.The Indianapolis branch is expanding rapidly and is able to work alongside the existing Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant in the city. Due to rapid growth and demand for engineering expertise, between 2011 and 2013 Aero Engine Controls plans to add up to 159 engineering jobs to the current 89, and plans to "add an assembly and test organisation in Indianapolis in the next few years".
Project Involvement
Aero Engine Controls provides products to some of the worlds most advanced and efficient engines, both for civil and military application.Notable aircraft for which Aero Engine Controls has provided its key components include but are not exclusive to:
Large Civil
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- Boeing 777Boeing 777The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
- Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- Boeing 767Boeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
- Airbus A380Airbus A380The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
- Airbus A330Airbus A330The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
Defense
Aero Engine Controls provides main and afterburnerAfterBurner
The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
systems and centrifugal pumping systems
Centrifugal pump
A centrifugal pump is a rotodynamic pump that uses a rotating impeller to create flow by the addition of energy to a fluid. Centrifugal pumps are commonly used to move liquids through piping...
for most modern military jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s including:
- Eurofighter TyphoonEurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
- V22-Osprey
- Boeing T-45 Goshawk
- BAE Systems Hawk
- Northrop Grumman Global Hawk
- Lockheed Martin C-130J