UltraFan 30 by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc: status and timeline

UltraFan 30

Develop a 20% more fuel-efficient commercial aircraft engine for single-aisle jets using geared turbofan and advanced materials, supporting decarbonization of aviation.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Concept review completed June 2026; demonstrator ground testing planned for 2028.

Updated 17 Mar 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Ground test demonstrator build and testing

Concept review completedJun 2026Complete.
Ground test demonstrator build and testingTarget 2028Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Rolls-Royce secures EUR 64M EU Clean Aviation funding for UltraFan 30 demonstrator17 Mar 2026

Upcoming

2028Ground test demonstrator build and testing (next)

Current obstacles

Demonstrator certificationGround testing and validation of new fan and core designs must meet regulatory and performance standards.
Manufacturing scalingScaling production of carbon-titanium fan blades and composite casings to commercial volumes requires new manufacturing processes.

Physics limits

Material temperature limitsComposite and titanium materials have maximum operating temperature limits that constrain core engine temperatures.
Manufacturing complexityComposite casings and carbon-titanium blades require advanced manufacturing techniques more complex than traditional aluminum.

How it works

3 parts

Fan System

CTi Fan System

Advanced carbon-titanium fan blades reduce weight and improve efficiency, enabling better fuel economy for narrowbody aircraft.

Geared Architecture

Geared turbofan design

Gearing allows the fan to rotate at optimal speeds independent of the core compressor, improving overall engine efficiency.

Materials

Advanced composites and alloys

Integration of composite casings and high-temperature alloys reduces overall engine weight and improves durability.

Spec sheet

Spec	UltraFan 30
Fuel burn reduction target	20% lower vs. baseline narrowbody engines^R (reported)
Sustainable aviation fuel compatibility	100% SAF-compatible from day one^R (reported)
Fan technology	CTi Fan System with carbon-titanium blades^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Tue 17 Mar

Major: Rolls-Royce secures EUR 64M EU Clean Aviation funding for UltraFan 30 demonstratorPressFunding

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

The team behind UltraFan 30

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

aerospace, defense, power systems, nuclear SMR

Rolls-Royce is a British multinational engineering company that designs and manufactures power and propulsion systems. Its Power Systems division develops small modular reactors (SMRs) as clean energy alternatives, with the first project at Wylfa in North Wales contracted in April 2026.

Light-water PWR, 470 MWe each, assembles under a canopy in ~500 days.
April 2026 contract: £599M from UK Wealth Fund plus £2.6B from 2025 Spending Review.
Three units at Wylfa targeted for mid-2030s; 3,000 jobs at site, 5,000 in supply chain.

rolls-royce.com (opens rolls-royce.com)Company profile →

Founded: 1906120 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: EnergyFission
Coverage: 2 programs · 2 updateslatest 13 Apr 2026checked 10 Oct
Customers: Great British Energy–Nuclear (GBE-N) (opens gov.uk)

Spec

UltraFan 30

Fuel burn reduction target

20% lower vs. baseline narrowbody engines^R (reported)

Sustainable aviation fuel compatibility

100% SAF-compatible from day one^R (reported)

Fan technology

CTi Fan System with carbon-titanium blades^R (reported)