How The Airbus A350's Engine Quietly Became The Cash Machine Saving Rolls-Royce

In the late 2010s, Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 engines were tied to major durability problems on the Boeing 787, including premature wear that contributed to ETOPS downgrades and grounded Dreamliners worldwide. But that setback now sits alongside a very different outcome: the Trent XWB, the sole engine option for the Airbus A350 XWB. Entering service in 2015, the clean-sheet, coaxial triple-spool Trent XWB has become Rolls-Royce’s most important commercial product as A350 popularity rises. The XWB-84 and XWB-97 power A350-900, A350-1000 and the A350F, offering thrust ratings up to 84,000 and 97,000 lbs.