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The Rolls-Royce Trent 500 is a high-bypass turbofan aircraft engine, developed from the Rolls-Royce RB211 and is a member of the Trent family of engines.
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Design and development
In 1995, Airbus began considering an engine for two new long-range derivatives of its four-engined A340 aircraft, designated A340-500/-600. The existing -200 and -300 models were powered by CFM International CFM56 engines (which had been selected in April 1987 before the Trent family was launched). However, the CFM56 was at the limit of its development capability, and would be unable to power the new A340-500/-600. In April 1996, Airbus signed an agreement with General Electric to develop a suitable engine, but decided not to proceed when General Electric demanded an exclusivity deal on the A340. After a contest with Pratt & Whitney, Airbus announced on 15 June 1997 at the Paris Air Show that it had selected the Trent 500 to power the A340-500 and -600.
The Trent 500 first ran in May 1999 and achieved certification in December 2000. It entered service on the A340-600 with Virgin Atlantic Airways in July 2002 and on the ultra-long range A340-500 with Emirates in December 2003. After production of the Airbus A340 ended in 2011, a total of 131 A340-500/-600 have been delivered with 524 Trent 500 engines altogether; Lufthansa is the largest operator, with 24 delivered A340-600.
The Trent 500 powers the Airbus A340-500 and A340-600. It was certificated at 60,000 lbf (270 kN) thrust, but derated to 53,000 lbf (240 kN) as the Trent 553 to power the A340-500, and to 56,000 lbf (250 kN) as the Trent 556 for the A340-600 and A340-500HGW. However, a 60,000 lbf (270 kN) version is installed in the A340-600HGW (High Gross Weight), a higher-performance version of the A340-600. The Trent 500 has the same wide-chord fan as the Trent 700, together with a core scaled from the Trent 800.
Applications
Specifications (Trent 556)
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