Rolls-Royce has joined forces with Boeing and Lufthansa Group in a flight-testing programme focused on new technologies designed to reduce aircraft fuel consumption and noise levels in the future. The tests will be conducted aboard a Boeing 787-9 serving this year as a flying laboratory under Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator Explorer programme.

The aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, is scheduled to be delivered to Lufthansa after the testing campaign is completed. The programme will begin in late July at Boeing’s facility in Glasgow, Montana, and is expected to continue until mid-August.

One of the key technologies being evaluated is a next-generation shortened engine inlet featuring advanced acoustic treatments. The concept is intended to support the integration of more efficient engines on future aircraft platforms while reducing weight and aerodynamic drag.

Despite its shorter design, the new inlet is expected to retain the required level of noise attenuation. Balancing aerodynamic efficiency with acoustic performance is one of the main challenges in developing new propulsion systems with larger fan diameters.

Rolls-Royce will provide engineering support throughout the programme and oversee operation of the engine fitted with the experimental inlet. The project builds on years of research into fan aerodynamic performance and a decade of cooperation between Rolls-Royce and Boeing on technologies aimed at lowering fuel consumption and noise.

Alongside the hardware innovations, the partners will also test modified departure and arrival procedures, including the Intelligent Operations concept. These algorithmically generated flight paths combine several data sources to identify opportunities to reduce both fuel consumption and the exposure of communities around airports to aircraft noise.

The approach demonstrates that efficiency improvements are not being sought solely through aircraft and engine design, but also through the way flights are planned and operated. Optimising flight paths, climb profiles and descent procedures can deliver additional savings without requiring major modifications to the aircraft itself.

Lufthansa Group Chief Technology Officer Grazia Vittadini said the joint tests involving Lufthansa, Boeing and Rolls-Royce are intended to assess the real-world value of the new solutions under operational conditions. As the future operator of the test aircraft, Lufthansa will provide an airline perspective and help evaluate how the technologies could be applied in everyday operations.

The tests are being conducted as part of Phase III of the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise programme, known as CLEEN, which is led by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The initiative brings together the public sector and the aerospace industry to develop technologies capable of reducing energy use, emissions and noise from current and future aircraft.

Boeing launched its ecoDemonstrator programme in 2012 to move new technologies out of the laboratory and into a real-world flight environment at an earlier stage. More than 260 technologies have since been tested under the programme, covering safety, fuel consumption, emissions, noise, operational efficiency and the passenger experience.

This year’s ecoDemonstrator Explorer is based on the Boeing 787-9, an aircraft already designed with a strong focus on reducing weight and fuel consumption through the extensive use of composite materials and a new generation of propulsion systems.

The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 was developed specifically for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family, building on the architecture and technologies of earlier generations of Trent engines. Since entering commercial service in 2011, Rolls-Royce has continued to improve the engine’s efficiency, reliability and durability.

The latest production standard, the Trent 1000 XE, is intended to power future Dreamliner deliveries fitted with Rolls-Royce engines. The manufacturer is also upgrading existing Trent 1000 TEN engines to the new standard, with the aim of reducing operating costs and improving the experience of airlines operating the Boeing 787.

The results of the tests involving the new inlet and optimised flight paths should show whether some of the solutions could be applied to future aircraft or incorporated into the operating procedures of existing fleets. The programme also provides another example of cooperation between an aircraft manufacturer, an engine manufacturer, an airline and a regulator in developing technologies intended to make air transport more efficient and more acceptable to communities surrounding airports.