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Rolls-Royce, an automotive company founded in 1906 by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls, produced its first aircract engine in 1914. Rolls-Royce was nationalized in 1971 under Edward Heath. The automotive division was separated from the aircraft engine division in 1973; Rolls-Royce plc was privatized in 1987 under Margaret Thatcher.
Rolls-Royce's aerospace business makes commercial and military gas turbine engines for military, airline, and corporate aircraft customers worldwide. In the U.S, the company makes engines for regional and corporate jets, helicopters, and turboprop aircraft. Rolls-Royce also constructs and installs power generation systems and is one of the world's largest makers of marine propulsion systems. Its core gas turbine technology has created one of the broadest product ranges of aero engines in the world, with 50,000 engines in service with 500 airlines, 2,400 corporate and utility operators and more than 100 armed forces, powering both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.