| RB.203 Trent | |
|---|---|
 Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent on display at theRolls-Royce Heritage Trust, Derby | |
| Type | Turbofan |
| Manufacturer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| First run | December 1967 |
| Major applications |
|
TheRolls-Royce RB.203 Trent was a British medium-bypassturbofan engine of around 10,000lb thrust designed for production in the late 1960s, bearing no relation to the earlierRolls-Royce RB.50 Trent turboprop or the later high-bypassRolls-Royce Trent turbofan.[2]
The RB.203 was a private venture engine built on the core of theRolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan used in theSEPECAT Jaguar and the laterHawker Siddeley Hawk.[3] The firstthree-spool engine, it was intended as a civilian replacement for the earlierRolls-Royce Spey.[4]
The RB.203 Trent was a member of an Advanced Technology Engine family of engines with thrusts covering a range from the RB.203 of just under 10,000 pounds-force (44,000 N) to theRB.207 of up to 60,000 pounds-force (270,000 N). The engine designs were launched at theSBACFarnborough Airshow in September 1966. The Advanced Technology Engine RB.203 embraced the new scalable technologies such as the three-spool architecture, a high pressureannular combustor, the extensive use of composites throughout the low pressure compressor and engine casing, air-cooled turbine blading, squeeze-film bearings and a structurally integrated duct, thegearbox driven from the high pressure shaft and located in the nacelle.[5]
The Trent RB.203 design objectives were:
The engine was aimed primarily at the short-haul market as a Spey replacement. Specific fuel consumption was projected to be better than the then current engines and noise reduction was also a design feature. The Trent was expected to better FAA noise proposals by a considerable margin. Advanced components, which had between 15 years and 10 million service hours, promised long life, reduced weight, reduced vibration and a reduction in manufacturing costs.[6]
The RB203 successfully ran for the first time on 18 December 1967.[7] As the first in the family of Advanced Technology Engines the RB.203 Trent led the testing and the development of the RB.207 and theRB.211. The Trent was ordered by Fairchild Hiller to power theFH-228 short haul airliner.[8] A key technology introduced on the RB.203 Trent was its structurally integratednacelle, also referred to as apower plant.[9][10]
Data fromFlight International.[2]
Comparable engines
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