OREANDA-NEWS. Rolls-Royce has won a $580 million (?340 million) TotalCare® long-term engine support contract with Vietnam Airlines for Trent XWB engines that will power 14 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

The contract was signed today at the Government Office in Hanoi in the presence of Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who is visiting the country as part of a trade mission to South East Asia.

The signing comes just weeks after Vietnam Airlines became the second airline in the world to operate the Airbus A350 XWB.

The Trent XWB is the world’s most efficient large civil aero engine and more than 1,500 engines have already been sold to 40 customers.

Mr Cameron said: “Rolls-Royce is the pinnacle of UK manufacturing excellence, exporting to fast-growing markets across Asia. I’m delighted that they are announcing this ?340 million contract with Vietnam Airlines supporting UK manufacturing in Derby, Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing hub for Trent XWB engines.”

Dr Pham Ngoc Minh, Vietnam Airlines, President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “As one of the first operators of the A350 XWB, we look forward to providing our passengers with outstanding service using state-of-the-art engines. This agreement will ensure we maximise the availability of these aircraft for service and enable us to become one of the leading airlines in South East Asia.”

Tony Wood, Rolls-Royce, President – Aerospace, said: “The Trent XWB is the latest example of our ability to take the best in technology to deliver new standards of excellence. We look forward to supporting Vietnam Airlines for many years to come.”

Trent XWB – incredible engineering by numbers:

  • The front fan is nearly 10ft feet across – its diameter is larger than the fuselage of Concorde
  • It sucks in up to 1.3 tonnes of air, the equivalent of a squash court, every second at take-off.
  • The force on a fan blade at take-off is equivalent to a load of almost 90 tons, the same as nine London buses hanging off each blade.
  • High pressure turbine blades inside the engine rotate at 12,500 rpm, with their tips reaching 1,200mph – twice the speed of sound.
  • At take-off each of the engine’s 68 high pressure turbine blades generates around 900 horsepower per blade – the equivalent to that of a Formula One racing car.