INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Air Force is choosing Rolls-Royce to build engines for the B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, which means business for the manufacturing facility in Indianapolis.
Inside Indiana Business reports Rolls-Royce will receive $500 million over six years for the contract, and will build and test 650 of its F130 engines for the bomber in Indy, meaning an additional 150 jobs in the Circle City.
Tom Bell, the CEO of Rolls-Royce North America says the timing of the contract could not be better, as they recently completed a $600 million upgrade to its facility in Indy.
“Our Indianapolis workforce has really sweat the details of making sure that our corporation’s investment in that site and our revitalizing that manufacturing facility was successful in terms of on time, on budget and on quality,” Bell told IIB. “We’re so thrilled to have that factory and now, to win that business to put in that factory is the perfect reward for that workforce to say that struggle, those challenges and that success is returned with new work, new jobs and an exciting future to be part of this franchise.”
Rolls-Royce says its F130 engine can stay on the B-52’s wing for its entire planned lifetime. The engine is already used in other Air Force machines, and “provides greater fuel efficiency, increased range, and reduced tanker aircraft requirements.”
