Rolls-Royce Announces New Engine Family

Building on the BR700 engine used in regional jets, Rolls-Royce has formally announced a new family of engines to be called Pearl. Rolls said the Pearl 15 will develop 15,125 pounds of thrust and will exclusively power Bombardier's new Global 5500 and 6500 business aircraft.

The engines were revealed conceptually a few years ago, but the recent announcement from the company formalizes the program. Like the BR700 from which it descends, the Pearl family are twin-spool engines, meaning the high-pressure compressor and turbines are mounted on a shaft that's concentric to the shaft carrying the low-pressure compressor and turbine blades.

The new engines are designed specifically for long-range business jets and will be capable of delivering speeds up to Mach 0.9, according to Bombardier. While providing up to 9 percent more thrust during takeoff than the BR700, the Pearl is 2 dB quieter and offers lower NOx emissions. The engine received EASA certification in February and is expected to go into service at the end of 2019.