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Rolls-Royce has been conducting flight tests for the Pearl 10X turbofan, developed for the Dassault Falcon 10X business jet, on its Boeing 747 testbed. During a media briefing ahead of the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow, Rolls-Royce's business aviation director Dirk Geisinger stated that the 18,000-pound-thrust engine is exceeding projected performance targets and has surpassed thrust levels since its initial test run.
The Pearl 10X integrates the Advance2 engine core with a high-performance low-pressure system, marking it as Rolls-Royce's highest-thrust turbofan for business aircraft applications. The engine also boasts a 5% improvement in specific fuel consumption compared to previous generations. To date, the Advance2 demonstrator core and the Pearl 10X have accumulated over 2,500 flight hours and completed 7,700 cycles.
Geisinger highlighted that Pearl engines incorporate combustor tiles that enhance cooling efficiency by 20%, improving high-pressure turbine performance. These tiles are produced using additive-layer manufacturing techniques, reducing design and manufacturing time by 75%.
