Rolls-Royce has secured €64 million in funding from the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking to lead a new collaborative programme aimed at advancing its next-generation UltraFan engine technology for narrowbody aircraft.
The project, known as UNIFIED (Ultra Novel and Innovative Fully Integrated Engine Demonstrations), will support the development and planned ground testing of the UltraFan 30 demonstrator, with testing targeted for 2028. The initiative is focused on maturing propulsion technologies that could underpin future single-aisle aircraft platforms and provide a pathway towards eventual flight testing.
The UNIFIED consortium, led by Rolls-Royce, brings together a broad group of European industrial, academic and research partners, including Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Imperial College London, spanning key aerospace markets across Europe.
Rolls-Royce said the programme will help strengthen supply chain resilience and accelerate technology readiness for future narrowbody applications, a segment seen as critical to long-term aviation growth and decarbonisation efforts. The company is targeting step-change efficiency improvements through UltraFan’s ultra-high bypass ratio architecture.
The funding forms part of the EU’s broader Clean Aviation Call 3, which is allocating approximately €945 million across multiple projects to advance next-generation sustainable aviation technologies, including propulsion systems capable of delivering significant emissions reductions for aircraft entering service from the mid-2030s.
Rolls-Royce secures EU funding for UltraFan narrowbody demonstrator
