Rolls Royce - HAG supplies doors for the worlds largest exhaust pipe

2021 sees Rolls Royce unveil Testbed 80, the world’s largest & smartest indoor aerospace testbed, as part of a £90million investment. It has been a hard year for the aerospace industry, with production slowing, and cuts in jobs, however this ground breaking facility shows Rolls Royce’s confidence in the future of aerospace for decades to come.

HAG Ltd. have proudly worked alongside Buckingham Group to assist in this ground breaking facility that will not only test propulsion systems of the future, but also secure jobs in Derby, UK for many years to come.

HAG Ltd. were tasked with designing & manufacturing a roller shutter for this distinctive & state of the art facility, to enable Rolls Royce to test the largest, smartest and most powerful engines in the world by MDS Aero Support Corporation of Ottawa, Canada.

HAG Ltd. designed, manufactured and installed 2 Armourguard F1 insulated roller shutters that were 7.5m by 15m. The F1 model is a high quality insulated security shutters delivering the highest level of security and offering thermal protection. A composite of foam filled sections is encased in a flat double skinned interlocking galvanised steel lath.

The project:

• £90million project
• 3 years of construction
• 7,000 square metres, the same size as a Premier league football ground
• Houses the world’s largest exhaust pipe
• Contains 3,218 tonnes of steel
• And 27,000 metres3 of concrete
• Equipped with a 40,000 litre fuel tank
• Capable of testing engines on Sustainable Aviation Fuel
• The most capable & complex testbed ever designed & built

Warren East, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce, said: “Testbed 80 is the largest facility of its type in the world. However, it is not only big, it is also smart and features the most advanced testing technology we have ever used. As the new global hub of our testing capability, it will support the next stage of our UltraFan programme as we begin ground testing the first demonstrator in 2022. This incredible piece of infrastructure is a very visible sign of our commitment to this site and secures the future of Derby as the home of large engine development, continuing a history that began in the late 1960s with the RB211.”

HAG Ltd. are proud to be part of this monumental development in the aviation industry.