Rolls-Royce has successfully completed the first flight of its new Trent 1000 TEN (Thrust, Efficiency and New technology) engine which will power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft. Capable of up to 78,000lbs thrust it will be available to power all three variants of the Boeing 787: the -8, -9 and future -10. The TEN programme schedule has apparently slipped, since the engine was originally scheduled for certification by the end of 2015.

The engine’s first flight was on a Boeing 747 flying test bed which took off from an airfield in Tucson, Arizona, US.  The TEN carried a distinctive paint scheme depicting a “ten pin strike” bowling image.

The Trent 1000 — one the two powerplant offerings on the Dreamliner, alongside the GEnx — already equips both the -8 and -9 versions of the 787. The TEN version is set to deliver new levels of fuel efficiency and thrust. Features of the TEN, which made its first run in June 2014, include a new compressor system scaled from the Trent XWB engine programme and a new turbine design to allow extra thrust. Unique to the TEN is a modulated air system which optimises the secondary air flow within the engine using a valve system with no moving parts.