Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322

The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 is a turboshaft engine for helicopters, conceived and built by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca, the latter now part of Safran Helicopter Engines. The partners shared the development cost of 100 million pounds equally: Rolls-Royce made the turbines, the combustor and the inlet particle separator, while Turbomeca produced the axial-centrifugal compressor and the intake. The engine first ran on 15 December 1984, and the first order, placed in 1992, was for the engines of 44 Royal Navy Merlin HM1 helicopters that entered service in 1998. More than 1,100 engines are in service, powering most NH90 helicopters and a majority of the AW101 fleet. Turbomeca acquired the whole programme in 2013, and the later Safran Aneto is derived from the RTM322.