Rolls-Royce brings U.S. Army’s MV-75 Cheyenne engine to full power with new digital controller, marking milestone in Black Hawk replacement project

Rolls-Royce has brought an engine for the U.S. Army’s MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor to full power using a new digital controller known as a Fadec, executives told Axios. The development marks another milestone for the multibillion-dollar project, which is expected to replace a large portion of the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter fleet.

Scott Ames, a Rolls-Royce senior vice president, told Axios that a new aircraft design requires numerous subsystems and regulatory certifications to align before the MV-75 configuration can lift off. Each Cheyenne, manufactured by Bell Textron, will have two Rolls-Royce Ae 1107 engines, a variant distinct from the powerplant used on the V-22 Osprey.

Engine testing for the project began in December in Indiana. The 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is slated to be the first recipient of the tiltrotor.

Ames described the Fadec as a brand-new design with numerous cyber-resilience elements. Test results have been shared with Bell and the Army to demonstrate that the engine meets all operational requirements.