Esterline Advanced Sensors Secures Partnership to Supply Sensors on Rolls-Royce Aircraft Engines

Partnership With Rolls-Royce PLC Includes the Exclusive Supply of the Sensors System Package for the Trent XWB-97 Engine for Airbus Aircraft


BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2014) -  Esterline Corporation (NYSE: ESL) (www.esterline.com), a leading specialty manufacturer serving global aerospace and defense markets, today announced that its Esterline Advanced Sensors business platform has signed an agreement to partner on the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 aero-engine program. The XWB-97 powers the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and Esterline Advanced Sensors will be solely responsible for the integration of the Sensors System Package for the engine. Collectively, Esterline Advanced Sensors agreements with Rolls-Royce have resulted in exclusive partnerships to supply sensors for the entire line of Trent XWB engines that power all current Airbus A350 variations.

Curtis Reusser, Esterline President & CEO, said, "Our long-standing partnership with Rolls-Royce demonstrates the excellent reputation of our team and dependability of our products and solutions. We're pleased with the progress we've made in the marketplace together with Rolls-Royce on these projects and look forward to continued success from our cooperation."

Rolls-Royce will lead and direct the XWB-97 project in which Esterline Advanced Sensors will develop, manufacture, and supply close to 30 high-precision pressure, temperature, speed, and torque sensing solutions for the engine. The project will also include mastering several other key parameters to meet Rolls-Royce's strict environmental and economic requirements including weight reduction, durability of components, and exceptional performance over the life of the engine.

Esterline Advanced Sensors has collaborated with Rolls-Royce on the Trent XWB engine program since 2008. Participation in this new program is an ideal opportunity for Esterline to strengthen its international competitiveness in sensors system packages and further expand its participation in the worldwide aero-engine business.

The Trent XWB-97 is the exclusive engine for the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (350 seat class), the largest variant of the Airbus A350XWB aircraft family. The plane will deliver 97,000 pounds of thrust. This engine is being developed from the 84,000 pound-thrust Trent XWB engine, the fastest selling Trent engine, which powers the Airbus A350-800 and A350-900 aircraft variants. The Trent XWB-84 engine variant undertook its first flight test on an A350-900 aircraft in June.

In addition to these Trent engine variants, Esterline has partnered on other Rolls-Royce engine programs including the TP400 turboprop.

About Esterline:
Esterline Advanced Sensors is a business platform within the Sensors & Systems segment of Esterline Corporation. 

Esterline Corporation is a leading worldwide supplier to the aerospace and defense industry specializing in three core areas: Advanced Materials; Avionics & Controls; and Sensors & Systems. With annual sales of approximately $2 billion, Esterline employs roughly 12,000 people worldwide.

Operations within the Advanced Materials segment focus on technologies including high-temperature-resistant materials and components used for a wide range of military and commercial aerospace purposes, and combustible ordnance and electronic warfare countermeasure products.

Operations within the Avionics & Controls segment focus on technology interface systems for commercial and military aircraft and similar devices for land- and sea-based military vehicles, cockpit integration systems, secure communications systems, specialized medical equipment, and other high-end industrial and gaming applications.

The Sensors & Systems segment includes operations that produce high-precision temperature and pressure sensors, specialized harsh-environment connectors and accessories, electrical power distribution equipment, and other related systems principally for aerospace and defense customers.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based on the current intent and expectations of the management of Esterline, are not guarantees of future performance or actions, and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and may cause Esterline's or its industry's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Esterline's actual results and the timing and outcome of events may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements due to risks detailed in Esterline's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Trent XWB Engine