The Rolls-Royce RR300 engine has moved past the 1 million flight-hours milestone, providing Robinson R66 helicopter operators with nearly a decade of service.
The helicopter and engine were jointly announced in 2007, and the helicopter was certified for service in 2010. Since then, Robinson’s first gas-turbine-powered helicopter has proven itself around the world, with a growing fleet of nearly 1,000 helicopters delivered.
Paul Matthews, Rolls-Royce’s senior vice-president (sales), said: “We congratulate Robinson Helicopter for this outstanding record of service; 1 million flight hours is a significant milestone and reflects the exceptional design and reliability of the R66.
"Rolls-Royce is proud to have partnered with Frank Robinson — and now his son Kurt — on the R66 helicopter for more than a decade.”
The Rolls-Royce RR300 was developed as a derivative of the M250 turboshaft engine, which itself has proven performance over decades of service.
It is manufactured in Indianapolis, where a $600 million Rolls-Royce investment in modernisation and technology programmes is nearing completion, including ‘state of the art’ advanced manufacturing.
Rolls-Royce (
www.rolls-royce.com) employs 6,000 people in 27 states in the USA, from California to Massachusetts.
In addition, Rolls-Royce business supports more than 52,000 jobs in the USA, adding nearly $9 billion to the nation’s economy each year.