Rolls-Royce Deutschland and ITP Aero have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore a partnership to ""design, develop, manufacture and support"" an engine for the unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) loyal wingman jet.
As part of the MoU signature ceremony, a mock-up of a wingman engine concept was unveiled with the power and propulsion solution being presented to a wide audience at ILA Berlin Airshow.
The MoU was signed by chairman of Rolls-Royce Deutschland Dirk Geisinger and managing director of ITP Aero Carlos Alzola on June 5, 2024, and was attended by representatives from both nations.
René Bernstein, vice president defence Germany at Rolls-Royce Deutschland stated: ""We are delighted to have unveiled our wingman engine concept, which we have invested in over the past several years to ensure customer and operational requirements for future large remote carriers can be met.""
Alfredo Alonso, head of export & new business defence at ITP Aero said: ""We are excited to continue our long-standing collaboration with Rolls Royce Deutschland for the design, development, manufacture and support of a Wingman Engine featuring high levels of design maturity and competitive operating and maintenance costs.
""This project represents a unique opportunity to develop a true European state-of-the-art propulsion solution for large remote carriers aimed to support the operations of existing and future systems in contested environments.""
Rolls-Royce and ITP Aero to partner on unmanned loyal wingman engine
