Rolls Royce, Snecma To Develop UCAV Engine For Britain and France

Defense giants Rolls-Royce and Snecma, from the Safran Group, have combined forces and signed a contract to jointly develop an engine to power a potential unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) program being considered by the British and French governments. The two companies also announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement with BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation to work together to explore concepts and technologies as part of the Anglo French Future Combat Air Systems Demonstration Programme Preparation Phase contract. Nick Durham, Rolls-Royce, President, Customer Business - Defence, said, "This collaboration agreement recognizes the need for airframe and power and propulsion system suppliers to work together to deliver an optimised affordable solution for the next generation of combat aircraft for the UK and France. It represents an important step towards increased collaboration and, by combining the experience and expertise of Rolls-Royce and Snecma; we can contribute a huge amount to these studies". Didier Desnoyer, Snecma Vice President and General Manager, Military Engines, said, "This joint venture will capitalize on the long-standing collaboration between Safran and Rolls-Royce on military aircraft engines such as the Adour and TP400. Carrying on this tradition of tight-knit partnership, Rolls-Royce Snecma Ltd. is uniquely placed to access the advanced military propulsion expertise of the two parent companies, based on their proven track records of developing successful combat aircraft engines".