Rolls-Royce has received official certification from EASA for its Pearl 700, the exclusive engine for Gulfstream's brand-new, flagship G700 and G800 business jet aircraft. The pioneering engine, developed at the Rolls-Royce centre of excellence for business aviation engines in Dahlewitz, Germany has been custom-designed to power two of Gulfstream's latest products, enabling them to fly ultra-long range missions nearly as fast as the speed of sound.

During the comprehensive test programme, the engine demonstrated exceptional performance operating at sea-level and altitude conditions on both conventional jet fuel and 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It has proved its ability to withstand bird strike, ice, hail and water ingestion as well as passing the critical fan blade containment test, during which a fan blade is deliberately released at maximum speed.

Testing was conducted at various Rolls-Royce locations in Europe and North America, including Dahlewitz, Germany; Bristol, UK; Manitoba and Montreal, Canada; the Rolls Royce outdoor jet engine testing facility at NASA's John C Stennis Space Centre in Mississippi, USA; as well as the altitude test bed at AEDC (Arnold Engineering Development Center) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA.

R-R director, business aviation Dr Dirk Geisinger says: “Receiving the EASA certification for our Pearl 700 engine makes us very proud, as it illustrates once again Rolls-Royce's unique capabilities to design, test, build and certify pioneering aircraft engines. It also reflects the dedication of our global team to support Gulfstream and the entry into service of the G700 and G800. We have worked closely with EASA and Gulfstream to achieve this certification, and I would like to thank them both for their support.”

“The G700 and G800 can deliver their impressive performance capabilities thanks to the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and the advanced Gulfstream wing and winglet on the two aircraft,” says Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “With these powerful advancements, Gulfstream customers can reap the benefits of large cabins with enhanced comfort over the worldwide flights the G700 and G800 can accomplish.

“The certification of the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines for the G700 and G800 is a significant step that brings us closer to delivering these game-changing aircraft to our customers. We are seeing a high level of demand for both the G700 and G800, and they are set to lead the upper end of the ultra-long range distance segment with their unique combination of range, speed and cabin size.”

The Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector, with a brand new, low pressure system, resulting in an eight per cent increase in take off thrust at 18,250lbf compared to the BR725 engine. The engine offers a five per cent higher efficiency, while maintaining its class-leading low noise and emissions performance. The result is an engine that is highly efficient, but also able to propel customers as fast as Mach 0.925.

Designed for outstanding reliability, the Pearl 700 engine is supported by comprehensive service programme Rolls-Royce CorporateCare Enhanced, which offers substantial financial and operational benefits to customers, increasing asset value and liquidity, mitigating maintenance cost risk and protecting against the unforeseen costs of unscheduled events anywhere in the world. Increased aircraft availability, reduced management burden, full risk transfer, direct priority access to the Rolls-Royce services infrastructure and remote site assistance are further customer benefits.

The Pearl engine family is part of the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision of a future where product and service become indistinguishable thanks to advancements in digital capability. As well as a new-generation engine health monitoring system that introduces advanced vibration detection, the family benefits from the incorporation of advanced remote engine diagnostics. It is also enabled for bi-directional communications, allowing for easy remote reconfiguration of engine-monitoring features from the ground. Cloud-based analytics, smart algorithms and artificial intelligence continue to play an increasing role in delivering exceptional levels of availability and greater peace of mind for its customers.