Rolls-Royce has announced an agreement with Thai Airways International to deliver further testbed capacity to support Trent programme activity.

The UK engine-maker will use THAI’s testbed at Don Mueang Airport to support its Trent XWB engine programme. THAI will carry out maturity and cyclic testing on the engine, providing a fuller understanding of engine performance over a sustained period of operation.

The 13m, 150,000lb thrust-capable testbed is currently used to carry out a limited number of engine pass-off tests.

Rolls-Royce is currently introducing three new large civil aero-engines into service. The high-thrust version of the Trent XWB; the Trent XWB-97 will enter service in the coming weeks on the Airbus A350-1000, the Trent 7000 will power the A330neo into service later this year, and the Trent 1000 TEN entered service in November last year, powering the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Last month Rolls-Royce announced that it had secured the use of a testbed at the former Texas Aero Engine Services LLC (TAESL) facility in Fort Worth, Texas and last year it announced the development of a new testbed facility at its site in Derby, UK, as part of an ongoing commitment to support the growth in delivery of engines expected over the coming years.